From the million-copy bestselling author of The Psychopath Test comes a twisting, darkly comic true-life story about one man, his castle, a generation of unravelling men - and a secret hidden deep behind the castle walls. 'Fantastic and intensely of the moment, The Castle is a dogged feat of investigation from one of our greatest non-fiction storytellers' PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE, author of LONDON FALLING 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? 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. 'Ridiculously compelling and wonderfully weird . . . The Castle is vintage Ronson: wise, timely and extremely funny' LOUIS THEROUX

Details

ISBN13: 9780241753552
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 320
Edition:
Publication Date: 25 Aug 2026
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 21.5(H)x13.6(L)x2.4(W)322
Weight (gm): 322

Author Biography

Jon Ronson's non-fiction books include So You've Been Publicly Shamed, The Psychopath Test, Them: Adventures with Extremists, Lost at Sea and The Men Who Stare At Goats. They have all been international and/or New York Times bestsellers and have been translated into more than thirty languages. Most recently, Jon made 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 came 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.

Reviews

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 *
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
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 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 *
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 *