A review by montereads
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Slowly throughout the course of reading this book, something changed for me in a deep, fundamental place. I could feel the most important revelations and epiphanies I’ve had during the past decade—each meaningful on its own, but as a whole, disparate and unfocused—shifting into alignment. This book has helped me understand why I have felt morally shackled for so much of my life, and has showed me how I might begin to pick the locks. Visiting Anarres, and following Shevek as he awakens to his perpetual revolution, has given me immeasurable insight into the question that haunts me most: how do we live both happy and ethical lives in this place, in this time? “The” answer doesn’t exist, but Le Guin shows us the tightrope, the acrobat, and the landscape on the other side with a crystal clarity I did not think was possible. I will come back to this one again, and again, and again, for the rest of my life.
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