High Rise depicts the social and moral collapse of the inhabitants of a brutalist high rise. The moral decay begins as the hierarchy of the building, reflecting the social class system in the UK begins, to be brutally enforced. The residents on the lower cheaper floors start being excluded from the facilities on the upper floors leading to a rebellion of sorts from the lower levels led by the TV producer Richard Wilder. Wilder metaphorically and literally attempts to climb the social ladder by scaling the building as it degenerates into violence, and mayhem when the residents turn their backs on normal behaviour.
What is unconvincing about this is that Ballard cast the net around the middle to upper classes. Wilder is a TV producer and is considered to be on the lowest social rung within the building. This doesn't feel right and jars throughout the book. The social ills of high rise building are primarily poverty related rather than middle class TV producers not being allowed access to the swimming pool.
Furthermore it isn't fully or convincingly explained how all of a sudden a group of working professionals regress through human experience. Firstly to splitting into tribes and finally to out an out neanderthalism. By the end of the book Wilder is painting symbols on himself and grunting like a cave man as he commits another atrocity. Yet throughout there is the constant nagging question of why do the characters not leave the building, why are the authorities not involved which gives the book a surreal rather than real feel.
Ballard clearly intended this to be a warning of the dystopian potential of high rise buildings, however the nearest equivalent is the Barbican, and as far as I am aware there hasn't been any serious disturbances there since someone spilt a espresso martini down a ballgown at Shostakovich concerto.
Although having said that with all the shiny new glass boxes going up in London maybe it will come to pass. Don't Go
What is unconvincing about this is that Ballard cast the net around the middle to upper classes. Wilder is a TV producer and is considered to be on the lowest social rung within the building. This doesn't feel right and jars throughout the book. The social ills of high rise building are primarily poverty related rather than middle class TV producers not being allowed access to the swimming pool.
Furthermore it isn't fully or convincingly explained how all of a sudden a group of working professionals regress through human experience. Firstly to splitting into tribes and finally to out an out neanderthalism. By the end of the book Wilder is painting symbols on himself and grunting like a cave man as he commits another atrocity. Yet throughout there is the constant nagging question of why do the characters not leave the building, why are the authorities not involved which gives the book a surreal rather than real feel.
Ballard clearly intended this to be a warning of the dystopian potential of high rise buildings, however the nearest equivalent is the Barbican, and as far as I am aware there hasn't been any serious disturbances there since someone spilt a espresso martini down a ballgown at Shostakovich concerto.
Although having said that with all the shiny new glass boxes going up in London maybe it will come to pass. Don't Go
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