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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
This is the worst fan-fiction crap I've ever attempted to read. Sandra Newman owes George Orwell an apology.
First, I have to say that, being unfamiliar with Sandra Newman’s prior work, she is a fascinating and evocative writer. I love her use of language and dialogue to convey emotion and unspoken tensions in this novel, which is similarly to Nineteen Eighty-Four a horror novel. I will warn any squeamish readers that this book is quite explicit, so be aware.
As to this book, this has uncharitably been called fan fiction, but it is very much a welcome retelling of a familiar if horrifying dystopia from a different perspective. In this book, everyone that was a hero in Orwell’s story is now a villain, and everyone who was a villain is now… well, not quite a hero, but certainly not the overwhelming force of nature they were in Orwell’s book. Two stark examples are Winston Smith and O’Brien.
Newman must have really hated the Winston Smith character. He is a detestable, sniveling, arrogant, and eternally pessimistic character in this telling. This is an interesting dichotomy from Orwell’s book where we can see Smith’s thoughts. Here, we are only seeing what Julia sees - not the terrified Outer Party bureaucrat wishing for escape through love (or at least through sex), but a self-important Debbie Downer, insisting that everyone is a fool except him, and “All is death and misery.”
O’Brien at first appears to be the same omnipresent, omnipotent villain we know and hate from Orwell, until Julia is arrested. We then find out that he’s just a stooge, a party apparatchik who has no original ideas or strategies. I remember reading Nineteen Eighty-Four and thinking how Ingsoc government seems far more capable than any government that has ever existed, even more than Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. Newman’s depiction of O’Brien seems far more plausible for a Party man, no scruples and no imagination.
The ending of this book really hit home for me, with the Brotherhood asking the exact same questions that O’Brien posed. “In comes the New Boss, same as the Old Boss.” But it’s more than that. Even if you truly are liberators, especially if you are liberators, that can give you a moral structure to do some horrible things for the sake of the greater good. Ingsoc had no greater goal other than power and oppression , and that was its monstrosity. The Brotherhood may believe it is more noble in its purpose, but they are still capable of horrible deeds in pursuit of that purpose. Very haunting and poetic.
Anyway, I will be thinking about this book much more in the future, so that to me signifies a good book.
As to this book, this has uncharitably been called fan fiction, but it is very much a welcome retelling of a familiar if horrifying dystopia from a different perspective. In this book, everyone that was a hero in Orwell’s story is now a villain, and everyone who was a villain is now… well, not quite a hero, but certainly not the overwhelming force of nature they were in Orwell’s book. Two stark examples are Winston Smith and O’Brien.
Newman must have really hated the Winston Smith character. He is a detestable, sniveling, arrogant, and eternally pessimistic character in this telling. This is an interesting dichotomy from Orwell’s book where we can see Smith’s thoughts. Here, we are only seeing what Julia sees - not the terrified Outer Party bureaucrat wishing for escape through love (or at least through sex), but a self-important Debbie Downer, insisting that everyone is a fool except him, and “All is death and misery.”
O’Brien at first appears to be the same omnipresent, omnipotent villain we know and hate from Orwell, until Julia is arrested. We then find out that he’s just a stooge, a party apparatchik who has no original ideas or strategies. I remember reading Nineteen Eighty-Four and thinking how Ingsoc government seems far more capable than any government that has ever existed, even more than Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. Newman’s depiction of O’Brien seems far more plausible for a Party man, no scruples and no imagination.
The ending of this book really hit home for me, with the Brotherhood asking the exact same questions that O’Brien posed. “In comes the New Boss, same as the Old Boss.” But it’s more than that. Even if you truly are liberators, especially if you are liberators, that can give you a moral structure to do some horrible things for the sake of the greater good. Ingsoc had no greater goal other than power and oppression , and that was its monstrosity. The Brotherhood may believe it is more noble in its purpose, but they are still capable of horrible deeds in pursuit of that purpose. Very haunting and poetic.
Anyway, I will be thinking about this book much more in the future, so that to me signifies a good book.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
reflective
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
dark
reflective
sad
medium-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
I really liked being able to read more about the 1984 universe. Ive always wanted to learn more about what that world is like, Orwell's book never quite gave me enough. Telling the story through Julia's lens was doubleplus good. Her reflections on her life the party, what she's doing, is all very interesting. Sometimes things slowed down bit too much, or I got lost in the plot or writing, hence the star rating. But still an enjoyable book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Murder, War
Moderate: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Having only read the 1984 a couple of months ago, everything was fresh in my mind and I was really excited to read Julia's perspective. I was pleasantly surprised that the book didn't just focus on her relationship with Winston, it was mostly about her life outside of him. Really really enjoyed it
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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