I don’t remember how I came to buy a copy of “Rogue Male,” but there it was: a slim paperback, half-hidden among a series of books in a box that I call my one-day box. At only 224 pages, I thought it would be a quick read on the beach and tossed it in my backpack with several others. When I finally pulled it out and started reading, I literally couldn’t put it down. All the accolades on the back cover are true.

The anonymous protagonist is a British gentleman who hunts big. Bored, he tries to enter the compound of a dictator, also without a name. His rifle is aimed at the man, who we assume is Adolf Hitler. Still, he tells himself that he doesn’t really mean to pull the trigger; he just wants to see if it can be done. His motives don’t matter when the guards catch him, torture him, and leave him for dead. Somehow he manages to escape and takes refuge on a ship bound for England. But his pursuers will not give up. Now he is the prey, and only his strong instincts for self-preservation will keep him alive.

This is the story of a man who is hunted like an animal and what he has to do to survive. The plot is simple but incredibly suspenseful. There are few characters and little dialogue. Some readers may find the writing style dated. And yet the leftover narrative is very effective in portraying the thrilling chase. The tension builds to the conclusion. An extraordinary adventure on one level, it is also interesting on a moral level, as the protagonist explores his true motives and decisions.

Geoffrey Household, the author, was born in Bristol in 1900, died in 1988. “Rogue Male” was published in 1939 and is justifiably a classic, as exciting today as it was then. A sequel, “Rogue Justice”, was published in 1982.

Publisher: NYRB Classics (November 6, 2007)

ISBN: 978-1590172438

Pages: 224

Price: $ 14.00