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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Such a cool concept!! I think some things got lost in the English translation especially in the ending but overall found it an interesting read.
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is not a hopeful book, but it makes you consider about the power of imagination and books. Immensely timely. I recommend it but caution that it's pretty devastating and unsettling. There are elements of whimsy throughout that bring a bit of levity, but the last stretch is rough.
It takes inspiration and directly references 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, Zorba the Greek, etc. It also feels very in the realm of Kafka. The ending is horrific and I had to read it a few times to arrive at what the book was getting at. It's pretty vague!
In the story, we follow a man living in the near future under an authoritarian government where books are banned. He gets a new job as a book censor, where it's his job to read books in order to ban them. But it turns out he actually enjoys reading.
If you read the physical book, there are illustrations throughout that add to the story!
It takes inspiration and directly references 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, Zorba the Greek, etc. It also feels very in the realm of Kafka. The ending is horrific and I had to read it a few times to arrive at what the book was getting at. It's pretty vague!
In the story, we follow a man living in the near future under an authoritarian government where books are banned. He gets a new job as a book censor, where it's his job to read books in order to ban them. But it turns out he actually enjoys reading.
If you read the physical book, there are illustrations throughout that add to the story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting
Moderate: Child death, Torture, Grief
Minor: Confinement, Suicide, Kidnapping, War
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ohhhh for first 60% or so of this book I was loving every second. Well, loving in the way you love books that make you feel extremely depressed about the world. There's a moment in this book regarding 1984 that I think will stay with me forever.
But this book fizzles quite a bit in the last third - things start happening at a chaotic pace, it's unclear when time jumps occur, and I was left feeling a bit of whiplash. This is not a hopeful book, but I don't think it intends to be. Yet that left me feeling like it was copying its dystopian predecessors rather than doing something unique itself.
The main character is extremely flawed, self-centered and selfish. His interactions with women are often sexist from the start (including assuming a woman who smiles at him once must be in love with him). He regularly neglects his marriage and his daughter. He is apparently good at his job, but we rarely seem him actually doing that job. I don't think you're meant to be rooting for him at any point, but it made the last 40% of this book really hard to get through.
Nobody gets a name, nor is it specified where this dystopian regime takes place. That I liked - anyone who reads this book can see visions of their own nation's potential future in its pages. But I wish the other characters got more development. The ending specifies why that isn't the case, but it ended up feeling like an excuse for shallow writing rather than a clever writing technique.
There is a bit of magical realism in this book that again, the ending explains, but I was still left feeling like this book didn't need it. But that's a personal preference - unless the fantasy elements are actually important to the plot, I tend to wish they weren't there.
But overall I do not regret this reading experience. I devoured the first 60%. It has a really key message. And in the US I live in right now, it's terrifyingly prophetic. I still think I'd recommend it, even if it left me feeling a little let down.
But this book fizzles quite a bit in the last third - things start happening at a chaotic pace, it's unclear when time jumps occur, and I was left feeling a bit of whiplash. This is not a hopeful book, but I don't think it intends to be. Yet that left me feeling like it was copying its dystopian predecessors rather than doing something unique itself.
The main character is extremely flawed, self-centered and selfish. His interactions with women are often sexist from the start (including assuming a woman who smiles at him once must be in love with him). He regularly neglects his marriage and his daughter. He is apparently good at his job, but we rarely seem him actually doing that job. I don't think you're meant to be rooting for him at any point, but it made the last 40% of this book really hard to get through.
Nobody gets a name, nor is it specified where this dystopian regime takes place. That I liked - anyone who reads this book can see visions of their own nation's potential future in its pages. But I wish the other characters got more development. The ending specifies why that isn't the case, but it ended up feeling like an excuse for shallow writing rather than a clever writing technique.
There is a bit of magical realism in this book that again, the ending explains, but I was still left feeling like this book didn't need it. But that's a personal preference - unless the fantasy elements are actually important to the plot, I tend to wish they weren't there.
But overall I do not regret this reading experience. I devoured the first 60%. It has a really key message. And in the US I live in right now, it's terrifyingly prophetic. I still think I'd recommend it, even if it left me feeling a little let down.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book felt a bit like a blunt force instrument, although the ending was a bit of a surprise. It mostly made me want to reread Fahrenheit 451.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
All of that for …????