A review by jentang
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

4.25

this book, despite being a quick read, contains many elements that could appeal to a wide range of readers, from thinly veiled political commentary to posed philosophical questions, a feat which always earns my admiration. while the book lacked extreme diversity in thought and characters, the same cannot be said for its writing style; the narration caused me to think back to catcher in the rye, and the structure flowers for algernon. the content of the book provided a wild ride through which i was once again shocked by how quickly i empathize with any character who is humanized in any way. i found the novel's prominent "nadstat" slang to be a nice touch - even critical - although it certainly proved irritating in the beginning (however, even without a glossary, i did not think it to pose too much of an issue; most of the frequently used words are easy to interpret, especially with context clues). i was a big fan of the resolution in the book as it made it so that (mostly) no graphic scene was without its purpose (and of course i personally just appreciate when loose ends are tied up as a story concludes). the basis of the story is one which can be found in a multitude of dystopian novels, but the ending set this one apart for me; it felt age-appropriate and more realistic than i would've expected. if you can push past the slang and potentially triggering content covered in this story, the controversy with which you are left is exactly why i think this book should be read; it is not just a one-dimensional commentary on society/crime/reformation/character, etc. as many other similar novels are.