The Castle

Fantastic and intensely of the moment, The Castle explores the nature of male anxiety, the spiralling delusions of the internet, the destructive allure of anti-woke defiance, the obsequious flattery of AI chatbots, the impunity of the mega-rich and so many other subtle (and not so subtle) currents that are currently roiling our existence … one of the scarier aspects of this book is the way the ante seems always to be upping, across its various stories and characters. It’s a dogged feat of investigation from one of our greatest non-fiction storytellers – Patrick Radden Keefe, author of LONDON FALLING
Riveting … insightful, candid and moving … an unmissable piece of work … Ronson’s nose for squirreling out a strange, compelling fellow is unparalleled, but his careful consideration of them is an even bigger gift. Rare indeed to find a real reporter who is also a real thinker. And the bastard’s funny, too – Megan Nolan * Observer *
Chilling … Ronson is less interested in the men who lead the way than in those who have blundered into extremes … Absolutely terrifying — and winningly described by Ronson with his wry style and magpie eye for the outrageous detail. The Castle is a supremely entertaining portrait of a terrible future, and we’re all going there together – John Self * Financial Times *
Starting with Chris Mark and fanning out to various YouTube influencers and culture warriors, Ronson is interested in fellows who’ve gone off the rails in some way, “unmoored” by the erosion of office and factory life … darkly hilarious … Ronson has a fantastic dry wit and tiptoe-through-the-tulips style – Alexandra Jacobs * New York Times *
Addictively readable, I loved The Castle. This is a much-needed book – an anti-sensationalist yet utterly compelling investigation into the masculinity crisis – Dolly Alderton, author of GOOD MATERIAL
Jon Ronson insightfully explores masculinity, and how perceptions of it are being shaped by the modern world … As good a read as any of his previous big hits … This book will open new insights for you … He painstakingly knits together the various explorations and analyses that his work entails into a compelling story for us to read … Honestly, this book will make me a better male ally – Sinéad Gibney * Irish Times *
Ridiculously compelling and wonderfully weird, this is a book that helps us understand why so many men seem to be unravelling, filling their lives with ill-conceived dreams and self-performance. The Castle is vintage Ronson: wise, timely and extremely funny – Louis Theroux
Every Jon Ronson book has made me see the world differently. Nobody tells an unbelievable-but-true story like him. He’s done it again with The Castle: I was utterly gripped from page one. If you want a totally compelling live mystery that will make you burn for justice, READ THIS BOOK URGENTLY – Marina Hyde
Ronson has honed his storytelling craft to perfection. His books are masterclasses, drawing readers into a bewildering web of controversy and tales of stranger-than-fiction real life … Imagine a crime thriller, complete with recently released murderers on the author’s trail and hints of FBI involvement, fused with a group therapy session. It achieves Dan Brown levels of page-turning impetus with Adam Curtis levels of psychedelic connectivity … a wild, exhilarating ride … a genuinely captivating tale – Rachel Cunliffe * New Statesman *
Intelligent, engaging and funny … Ronson has long had a talent for coaxing extraordinary stories from very weird people … A pleasure … as with everything he writes, worth reading pretty much the moment you can – Leaf Arbuthnot * Spectator *
Entertainingly leftfield … Moving and full of the witty asides that make Jon Ronson one of the most entertaining writers in journalism … The Castle feels like a spiritual sequel to Ronson’s 2015 book So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed – William Moore * Evening Standard *
Jon Ronson is one of my favorite nonfiction writers … I highly recommend his new book … Unlike many other books about unmoored men, The Castle understands that male unhappiness is infectious and has a blast radius. Ronson actually bothers to ask the question: What havoc is male purposelessness wreaking “on the lives of their loved ones — their partners, mothers, children?” – Jessica Grose * New York Times *
Ronson doesn’t build toward any prescriptive conclusions … His interest isn’t political. It’s empathic. He … wags no fingers. Instead, he wants the reader to conceive of the scale of social anomie, and to envision the millions of other men chasing meaning in the wreckage of their former aspirations – Jeremy Gordon * The Atlantic *
Ronson is persuasive on the problems of casting masculinity as original sin … other bizarre tales feel emblematic of topsy-turvy times – Anthony Cummins * Guardian *
Jon Ronson visits a millionaire’s bizarre castle - and finds a world of male rage and narcissism … hair-raising … many men have taken a sod-it-then approach and chosen to “man up” in the most disinhibited ways – James Walton * Daily Telegraph *
Undeniably a corker … The Castle is properly funny … Exquisitely researched and elegiac * Private Eye *
Ronson has had an unstinting attraction to the weird and sometimes dangerous … The Castle continues that obsession through a series of encounters with men who exemplify the bizarre turn the 21st century has taken – Sarah Ditum * The Times *
A sensitive, insightful investigation into how “ordinary” men are struggling to find purpose in a changing world, too - not least the author himself – Ed Grenby * Radio Times *
Jon Ronson is an essential guide in these disorienting times. I love everything that Ronson writes but The Castle is a particular gem, a story of his own making in the collapsing world of twenty-first century masculinity. Wonderfully breathless and weird and open, it feels hallucinatory and all too real at the same time – Sam Knight, author of THE PREMONITIONS BUREAU
The Castle is an investigation into one man that broadens into an enquiry into the state of all men. Jon Ronson is such a companiable narrator, and this book is by turns horrifying, hilarious, bizarre and gripping – Ed Caesar, author of THE MOTH AND THE MOUNTAIN
Ronson delivers a by turns amusing and harrowing report on the desultory state of contemporary men … brilliant … Ronson’s intuitive but still rigorous approach makes this a blockbuster portrait of men gone mad * Publishers Weekly, starred review *
Ronson provides exacting details and insider perspectives … A mesmerizing work of gonzo journalism at its most intriguing * Kirkus Reviews, starred review *
The Castle is compellingly nuanced in its social analysis as Ronson arrives at outcomes that are both concerning and empathetic * Booklist, starred review *
The Castle is by turns funny and frightening, dark and disarming – Thane Tierney * BookPage, starred review *
An excellent piece of investigative journalism that will keep readers riveted * Library Journal *

Jon Ronson’s non-fiction books include:

• So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed
• The Psychopath Test
• Them: Adventures with Extremists
• Lost at Sea
• The Men Who Stare At Goats

All of his books have been international and/or New York Times bestsellers and have been translated into more than thirty languages.

Most recently, Jon created two series of the acclaimed BBC podcast Things Fell Apart, which won the Broadcasting Press Guild Award for podcast of the year and reached number one in the UK and Ireland podcast charts. Before that, he created three Audible Original audio series: The Debutante, which won the 2023 Signal Gold Award for best true crime podcast, The Butterfly Effect, and The Last Days of August.

The Psychopath Test spent more than a year on the UK bestseller list. Jon’s live show based on the book, Psychopath Night, has sold out theatres and concert halls across the UK and Ireland. The next leg of the tour will kick off in November 2025.

He lives in New York.

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