[Darkness Visible] is a malign work which, in spite of the presence of the charred saint who wanders through it, gives few directions for recovery. One is thrown back and forth by the constantly alternating brilliance and obscurities in the writing, as well as being brought to a critical standstill by a sequence of great scenes….

[In his scarred inconnu, Matty], Golding has invented one of his most compelling characters.

Virtue on the scale which Matty so guilelessly practises is essential, for the rest of the action involves first, that peculiarly British form of furtiveness and retribution which is still profitably maintained by the popular Sundays; and, second, current trends in sociosexual amorality among the young, as well as a completely new brand of heartlessness. It reveals the allure, moral ignorance—rather than innocence—and treachery of children being carried forward into a maturity that now constitutes an...