Hatters Castle was written in 1930 but contains an essential truth which is just as relevant today. Its main theme is the hubris of one man and the tragic path it leads him and members of his family down. James Brodie dominates the book as he did his family and, blind to the physical and mental destruction he causes, the tragedies he generates are inevitable. The book was a huge bestseller on its release and it is not difficult to see why. Not only did it address subjects not often dealt with by literature at the time but it created a cast of characters so vivid that the reader becomes part of the world that Cronin creates. Cronin's books are perhaps not as popular as they were when first published. This may be because of their deceptively simple narrative structure, but great novels give us insights into humanity which are not limited to the time they are written. Hatters Castle is a great novel and the reader is changed by reading it.