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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Whilst this is neither properly dystopian or horror, it is a hauntingly disturbing commentary on society. A modern adaptation of Robinson Crusoe set on a forgotten traffic island stuck between highways on the outskirts on London.
My initial gut reaction was that this was a stupid idea; imagine someone becoming so entirely lost in such a publicly observable area! And then you read the news; think about the times you've come across real life stories of people found dead in their city centre flats after three years, or look to the homeless sitting in our affluent city streets and it is suddenly less ludicrous.
Ballard captures the fractures within our modern society well; highlighting the plight of the disenfranchised, the lonely and lost souls of the rich and poor alike. In a way, it's brilliant, but it fell a little flat for me with the introductions of Proctor and Jane Sheppard. Personally I felt that there should have been some dark humour in Proctor's stumbling acrobatics and Jane's misplaced mothering and often cruel outbursts, but it degenerated into a bizarrely awkward social experiment that I failed to get onboard with.
My initial gut reaction was that this was a stupid idea; imagine someone becoming so entirely lost in such a publicly observable area! And then you read the news; think about the times you've come across real life stories of people found dead in their city centre flats after three years, or look to the homeless sitting in our affluent city streets and it is suddenly less ludicrous.
Ballard captures the fractures within our modern society well; highlighting the plight of the disenfranchised, the lonely and lost souls of the rich and poor alike. In a way, it's brilliant, but it fell a little flat for me with the introductions of Proctor and Jane Sheppard. Personally I felt that there should have been some dark humour in Proctor's stumbling acrobatics and Jane's misplaced mothering and often cruel outbursts, but it degenerated into a bizarrely awkward social experiment that I failed to get onboard with.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Vomit, Abortion, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
dark
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
That was a unique reading experience. J. G. Ballard expertly breaks down human psyche in his work and this contemporary telling of Robinson Crusoe explores the breakdown in the human mind when social restraints are ripped away. 3.5 stars.