Book Review: The Razor's Edge

by W. Somerset Maugham

BOOK REVIEW

Shreerang Gaidhani

The Razor’s Edge

Rs 458 on Amazon.in

Preface: This is a novel endeavour that I am undertaking. I am trying to read more, and I feel that writing a review after finishing a book makes me read better. Also, I am always looking to refine my writing. I aim to write these reviews within 500-600 words, so that I learn to convey my thoughts more succinctly. I also do not want to reveal/spoil the plot, even if that may be the whole point as to why I wrote the review. I find spoilers repulsive and hope to leave the reading to the reader. Furthermore, I aim to minimise, and if possible, completely avoid editing these reviews of prose. This, I hope, will help me in the long run and sharpen my thinking as well as my writing. I am, but a novice, and these reviews are my latest eccentric experiments. They aren’t perfect, they aren’t unproblematic, and they may not even be good. But they are a start to what I hope is a fulfilling and impactful scholarship.

Premise: The Razor’s Edge is an account of the author’s real encounters with Larry, a young American veteran of the First World War. During the war, a friend and fellow pilot died saving Larry. The novel explores Larry’s quest to find answers to the questions that are fundamental to ontology. Who created the world? What is the reason for evil? These, inter alia, lead him to travel the world and explore various religions. While his expeditions in Europe leave him intensely dissatisfied, he finally finds solace and meaning in Hinduism. Accompanying this plot are subplots of a love triangle, aristocratic decline and the effects of the Great Depression.

My Thoughts: Two things stand out from Maugham’s outstanding prose:

1.  Dealing with Death: Last December, I was trekking in the Himalayas. It was gruelling, and I was far too unfit. Among the many noteworthy incidents I encountered, one changed me forever. I was climbing down Kheerganga (where many trekkers have lost their lives), and we had encountered black ice. I was ill with altitude sickness and tired from exerting myself. I stepped on a small patch of black ice and slipped off the cliff. Luckily, I held on to some stones and onto another traveller who helped me up. But there was a moment in this episode where I was almost certain that I had met my end. That changed me, and my life completely.Larry was less fortunate. In the novel, a person died saving him. I can only imagine how life-altering such an experience can be. Maugham bridges that gap. His skill is not in the description of such an event; many writers accomplish that better than him. Maugham’s salience is in his ability to understand a character. And to extend that understanding to the audience. Maugham neither underexplains nor fusses over Larry. He gets it just right by using scarce, yet powerful sentences to describe the impact of such a trauma. Very few writers have the skill to convey it so.

2.  The Quest of Questions: My experiences with religion and spirituality are long and complex. One of the defining features of my relationship with spirituality is that I have had more questions than answers. Larry, too, was afflicted by this propensity. His quest was to find answers to questions that everyone has an answer to, but one is unsure about which is right.  Larry expresses this well in his conversations, but Maugham illustrates it exceptionally. His writing captures the nobility of the endeavour with the hard reality of the quest. This quest of questions, which anchors the novel, stood out to me as it represented my situation. Here, it revealed a bitter but freeing truth: there will always be more questions than answers. These answers aren’t free of their shortfalls, and they aren’t perfect. But the perfect is the enemy of the good. Therefore, the good, however imperfect it may be, should be embraced. Larry does that well. I am trying.

These aside, the novel ties together several elements, characters and plots with great description, leaning on the pedantic side. But I assume that was the style of the 1940s. It is a good book to read, but it requires due time and energy. If the book is respected, it will change your life. But you must let it change your mind.

I plan on reading this book again in a few years. I hope it will nourish me then, as it did a couple of weeks back. I highly recommend it.

September 2026

Shreerang Mahesh Gaidhani is currently pursuing a Bachelor's in International Relations as Ashoka University. His research interests lie in the intersection between AI and Geopolitics. In his free time, he enjoys reading and travelling.