Rites of Passage by William Golding

Description

Rites of Passage” is a novel written by British author William Golding. It was first published in 1980 and is the first book in a trilogy titled “To the Ends of the Earth.” The other two books in the series are “Close Quarters” (1987) and “Fire Down Below” (1989).

The novel is set in the early 19th century and follows the journey of a British ship, the “HMS Bounty,” as it sails from England to Australia. The narrative is presented in the form of a journal kept by Edmund Talbot, a young aristocrat who is on board the ship as an observer. The journey is part of a government-sponsored program to transport convicts to the Australian penal colony.