Brighton Rock

By: Graham Greene

Narrated by: Richard Brown

Originally published in 1938, Graham Greene’s chilling exposé of violence and gang warfare is a masterpiece of psychological realism and often considered Graham Greene’s best novel. It is a fascinating study of evil, sin, and the “appalling strangeness of the mercy of God,” a classic of its kind.

Set in Brighton, England, among the criminal rabble, the book depicts the tragic career of a 17-year-old boy named Pinkie whose primary ambition is to lead a gang to rival that of the wealthy and established Colleoni. Pinkie is devoid of compassion or human feeling, despising weakness of the spirit or of the flesh. Responsible for the razor slashes that killed Kite and also for the death of Hale, he is the embodiment of calculated evil. As a Catholic, however, he is convinced that his retribution does not lie in human hands.

He is therefore not prepared for Ida Arnold, Hale’s avenging angel. Ida, whose allegiance is with life, the here and now, has her own ideas about the circumstances surrounding Hale’s death. For the sheer joy of it she takes up the challenge of bringing the infernal Pinkie to an earthly kind of justice.

When finished, the listener is sure to ponder some lofty moral issues to which Greene, a Catholic writer, withholds easy judgments.

©1938 Graham Greene, renewed 1966, 1970 by Graham Greene (P)1990 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“In a class by himself…the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man’s consciousness and anxiety.”—William Golding, Nobel Prize–winning author

Cold as stone

slow and at points grating, this rewarded by unlatching a window onto evil, onto common sense too

ok story

some stories are better read instead of f listened to, and this might be one. I didn't like the tone of the reader, it was harsh and hard to listen to.

Goodness, mercy, and gangsters eating candy

A ruthless and intelligent allegory of modern youth, circa 1950s, and the understanding and misunderstanding of their own actions and choices. Excellent writing as in all Graham Greene’s books.

Narrator is great

Not sure what other reviewers object to. l thought the narrator was very capable and well matched to the book.

Theological thriller

Not just a question of justice for murder, but the nature of good and evil, of God and the Church are under investigation in this taut, wonderfully written story of twisted young love.