Somerset Maugham's semi-autobiographical novel follows Philip Carey from childhood trauma through medical school, artistic ambitions, and a devastating obsession with a woman who treats him with contempt. This is the rare coming-of-age story that doesn't promise growth or redemption—just the hard-won knowledge that we're all trapped by desires we can barely understand and definitely can't control. Maugham writes desire as a form of bondage more absolute than any literal chains. This psychological novel explores obsession, ambition, and the limits of self-determination with brutal honesty.
 
 
 
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