In 2023, Jon Ronson found himself recuperating at home in upstate New York when he received a series of unusual texts from his adult son regarding a peculiar evening spent at a stranger’s castle in Connecticut. Accompanying a friend who was invited to a party, his son encountered Chris Mark, a steel heir in his sixties, surrounded by a few confused young women. Mark was filming a reality show titled “101 Princesses,” which had a baffling first rule: “Never say no to King Chris.”
As a concerned parent, Ronson’s instincts kicked in, but as a seasoned journalist with over three decades of experience covering eccentric and dubious characters, he recognized a potential story. After delving into online rumors concerning odd occurrences at the castle, he decided to confront Mark. During his visit, Mark showcased his “cave-themed” bedroom, complete with stalactites and a waterfall, while revealing his strategy of using dating apps to “train” women for a life as “princesses.” He controversially stated, “The only girls that really work are drug addicts… they don’t know what’s going on.” In a somewhat touching moment, Mark asked Ronson to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and the author recounts how Mark bombarded him with threats when he refused.
Recognizing the potential for a compelling narrative, Ronson began to piece together the details. An insider leaked Mark’s private messages, which included plans for a floating brothel charging $2,500 per hour and indicated that Mark had previously arranged for a woman to travel from Poland to the U.S., only for her to be sent back due to safety concerns. Additional revelations surfaced from an ex-fiancée, whom Ronson approached under the pretense of expressing regret about their breakup, knowing that such disclosures could be beneficial for his reporting. As the allegations mounted, he began to entertain the dark thought that Mark might have killed his father, who had drowned in a boating incident in 2009.
While Ronson ultimately felt relieved that Mark was not responsible for such a crime, his self-deprecating humor and desire to outshine other nonfiction writers infused the narrative with an engaging charm amidst the unsettling pursuit. However, the investigative journey in “The Castle” is just one aspect of the book; the subtitle, “Adventures in a World of Unravelling Men,” suggests a broader exploration of male identity in contemporary society. Ronson navigates various case studies that highlight the challenges faced by modern men, who are caught between societal expectations to be emotionally open and the pressure to avoid behaviors deemed off-putting.
Some may dismiss Ronson’s concerns as exaggerated, yet he effectively advocates against framing masculinity as inherently flawed. He shares the story of an Australian boy whose teacher compelled him and his classmates to apologize for rape, and introduces a single father who gained fame on YouTube for posting videos of his daughters’ food fights, only to face false accusations of kidnapping when the platform dropped him.
Ronson skillfully relates these and other peculiar narratives to the chaotic state of modern life. He notes that Chris Mark represents a larger trend of men realizing that behaviors they once engaged in are no longer acceptable. Reflecting on Mark’s indecision about the future of his castle, which he contemplates using as a residence for OnlyFans models or as an orphanage, Ronson draws parallels to the complexities of American involvement in Iraq. Mark’s relentless pursuit of personal gratification also leads Ronson to mention the controversial actor Armie Hammer, seemingly to highlight a past interview that went unpublished.
While Ronson’s instinctive comparisons may not always clarify his subjects’ motivations, he draws a connection between Mark and Graham Linehan, a former friend whose provocative online comments about transgender individuals Ronson likened to harassment. In a bid to understand Linehan’s fixation, Ronson interviews him, but ultimately, the analysis leans more on a tenuous analogy with the tragic story of Brandi Bragg, a West Virginian teen who succumbed to paranoia after winning the lottery.
As the narrative progresses, Ronson recounts the tragic death of Renée Good at the hands of an ICE agent, whose derogatory comment before the shooting raises questions about its relevance to the overall discussion. It becomes evident that Linehan, described as the only character in the book undergoing a personal unraveling, had shared a tweet calling Good “the face of chaos.” Ronson concludes that Linehan’s descent into extreme views had overshadowed his self-appointed role as a defender of women. This revelation, subtly placed in a footnote toward the end, leaves readers pondering whether “The Castle” serves merely as an exploration of 21st-century masculinity or as a more personal act of retribution against its subjects.
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“The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unravelling Men” is available from Viking for £20. To support the Guardian, you can order your copy at guardianbookshop.com, though delivery charges may apply.
