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The Castle
- Author
- Jon Ronson
- Narrator
- Jon Ronson
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Publish Date
- 20 August 2026
- Run Time
- 8 hours 52 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Gender studies: men and boys, Biography and non-fiction prose, Social, group or collective psychology, Psychology of gender, Humour, Media studies: internet, digital media and society
- Rating
- 5.0 (2 reviews)
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What to expect
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLER
Narrated by Jon Ronson.
The million-copy bestselling author of The Psychopath Test returns with a shocking, darkly comic trip to the furthest reaches of the masculinity crisis
I honestly have no clue what is going on.
This is very weird.
We left. Was completely fucked. All good now.
When Jon Ronson received a series of disquieting texts from his son Joel who’d been lured to a mysterious castle in the forests of New England late one night, it sets Ronson Sr. off on an adventure into an underworld of unmoored and disaffected men.
As Jon deepens his investigation into the castle and the wider ‘man crisis’ – where some are feeling tossed around in a sea of conflicting ideologies of what it means to be a man – urgent questions come to light. What exactly is ‘Princessing’? Why did a lawn care influencer dress as a baby in front of billions of online viewers, with catastrophic results? And more pressingly, why are two recently released murderers on their way to pay Jon a visit?
From the death of utopian factory towns to the false promise of YouTube influencer culture, Jon shows us our rapidly changing world like never before, and the men caught in the middle. A world drained of purpose, of collapsing institutions, where a new era of disinhibited behaviour has taken hold of our online and real-world selves. And as the castle mystery twists and turns into a cat-and-mouse story, will Jon be able to discover its terrifying secret hidden from the world?
'Ridiculously compelling and wonderfully weird . . . wise, timely and extremely funny' LOUIS THEROUX
'Riveting . . . an unmissable piece of work' MEGAN NOLAN, OBSERVER
'Addictively readable' DOLLY ALDERTON
THE CASTLE marks Jon Ronson’s triumphant return to the written page. Utterly hilarious and criminally entertaining, this is one of our greatest non-fiction writers at the top of his game: diagnosing our societal frailties in a narrative of blistering pace, insight and intensity.
© Jon Ronson 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Critics Review
-
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
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
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
New York Times
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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
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
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
Spectator
User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
- No written reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Jon Ronson
- Narrator
- Jon Ronson
- Duration
- 8 hours 52 minutes
- Release Date
- 20 August 2026
- ISBN
- 9781405982085
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Genre
- Gender studies: men and boys, Biography and non-fiction prose, Social, group or collective psychology, Psychology of gender, Humour, Media studies: internet, digital media and society
- Rating
- 5.0(2 reviews)
- Narration
- 5.0(2 reviews)
Synopsis
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLERNarrated by Jon Ronson. The million-copy bestselling author of The Psychopath Test returns with a shocking, darkly comic trip to the furthest reaches of the masculinity crisisI honestly have no clue what is going on.This is very weird.We left. Was completely fucked. All good now.When Jon Ronson received a series of disquieting texts from his son Joel who’d been lured to a mysterious castle in the forests of New England late one night, it sets Ronson Sr. off on an adventure into an underworld of unmoored and disaffected men.As Jon deepens his investigation into the castle and the wider ‘man crisis’ – where some are feeling tossed around in a sea of conflicting ideologies of what it means to be a man – urgent questions come to light. What exactly is ‘Princessing’? Why did a lawn care influencer dress as a baby in front of billions of online viewers, with catastrophic results? And more pressingly, why are two recently released murderers on their way to pay Jon a visit?From the death of utopian factory towns to the false promise of YouTube influencer culture, Jon shows us our rapidly changing world like never before, and the men caught in the middle. A world drained of purpose, of collapsing institutions, where a new era of disinhibited behaviour has taken hold of our online and real-world selves. And as the castle mystery twists and turns into a cat-and-mouse story, will Jon be able to discover its terrifying secret hidden from the world?'Ridiculously compelling and wonderfully weird . . . wise, timely and extremely funny' LOUIS THEROUX'Riveting . . . an unmissable piece of work' MEGAN NOLAN, OBSERVER'Addictively readable' DOLLY ALDERTONTHE CASTLE marks Jon Ronson’s triumphant return to the written page. Utterly hilarious and criminally entertaining, this is one of our greatest non-fiction writers at the top of his game: diagnosing our societal frailties in a narrative of blistering pace, insight and intensity.© Jon Ronson 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
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