The Manchurian Candidate
Richard Condon, 1959
Simon & Schuster
311 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780743482974
Summary
As compelling and disturbing as when it was first published in the midst of the Cold War, The Manchurian Candidate continues to enthrall readers with its electrifying action and shocking climax.
Sgt. Raymond Shaw is a hero of the first order. He's an ex-prisoner of war who saved the life of his entire outfit, a winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the stepson of an influential senator...and the perfect assassin. Brainwashed during his time as a P.O.W., he is a "sleeper"—a living weapon to be triggered by a secret signal. He will act without question, no matter what order he is made to carry out.
To stop Shaw and those who now control him, his former commanding officer, Bennett Marco, must uncover the truth behind a twisted conspiracy of torture, betrayal, and power that will lead him to the highest levels of the government—and into the darkest recesses of his own mind. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—March 18, 1915
• Where—New York, New York
• Death—April 9, 1996
• Where—Dallas Texas
Richard Thomas Condon was a satirical writer and thriller novelist best known for conspiratorial books such as The Manchurian Candidate.
After moderate success as an ad writer and Hollywood agent, Condon turned to writing in 1957. His second novel, The Manchurian Candidate (1959), and the movie made from it in 1962, made him famous. Prizzi's Honor (1982) was likewise made into a successful movie.
Condon's writing was known for its complex plotting, fascination with trivia, and loathing for those in power; at least two of his books featured thinly disguised versions of Richard Nixon. His characters tend to be driven by obsession, usually sexual or political, and by family loyalty. His plots often have elements of classical tragedy, with protagonists whose pride leads them to a place to destroy what they love. Some of his books, most notably Mile High (1969), are perhaps best described as secret history. And Then We Moved to Rossenara is a humorous, autobiographical recounting of various places in the world where he had lived and his family's 1970s move to Rossenarra, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. (From Wikipedia.)
Book Reviews
(Older works have few, if any, mainstream press reviews online. Check Amazon and Barnes & Noble for helpful customer reviews.)
In The Manchurian Candidate [Condon]...compresses a breathlessly up-to-date-thriller, gimmicked to the gills, from judo to narcohypnosis. [The novel is also] a psychoanalytic horror tale about...a mother and son, and an irate socio-political satire that tries to flay our shibboleths.... Unfortunately, he is least adept in pursuing the psychological strand central to the book.... His style seems quite foreign to the slow, cumulative playing out of motivations such a task demands.
Frederic Morton - New York Times (4/26/1959)
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for The Manchurian Candidate:
1. Do a little research into "brainwashing." Does the process it actually exist? If so, how does it work, how effective is it?
2. Talk about the role of Condon's mother. In what way is Raymond susceptible psychologically because of his relationship with her? Is her character convincing?
3. What or whom is Condon criticizing? As the New York Times critic says above, Condon is writing "political satire that tries to flay our shibboleths." So...once we figure out what a shibboleth is...what does the critic mean? Where does Condon aim his satirical eye?
4. Does this story have relevance to the 21st century? If so, how? Are you paranoid?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
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