Concrete Island

It is the early 70's (a time before cell phones) and Robert Maitland has driven his Jaguar off the road, down an embankment, outside London. Injured, disoriented, and sure he would be rescued, Maitland is not worried. He should have been worried. His wife thinks he is with his mistress, his mistress thinks he is with his wife and no one is missing him. This is a pretty harrowing story. The road is a long climb above him, and though he makes it up once, he is injured, yet again by rushing traffic, even worse than the original injury. His leg/hip is broken he is feverish, starving , and thirsty when he discovers other inhabitants of "The Island" a girl and a giant. They take him "home" and care for him, promising to get help. The rest of the story is how he acclimates himself to his surroundings, and to his new companions. J. G. Ballard has written a modern Crusoe story. While I really liked it, many questions came to mind as I read this. What was real and what was imagined? Was he really a rotten guy who no one looked for? It makes me wonder if I didn't show up at home, how long would it take them to call out the Marines?

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