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A review by nisanatreads
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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#bookreview of 'A Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess
The story of 'A Clockwork Orange' centers around 15 year old Alex who is the leader of a youth gang and together with his 'droogs' he commits all sorts of violent crime. At some point Alex is caught and imprisoned. During that time he does not abstain from violence and finally he gets admitted to an experimental study called 'Ludovico's technique'. The experiment is supposed to condition his body to react negatively when confronted with crime and/or violence. I think we probably all know the scene from the eponymous film where Ludovico's technique is depicted in graphic detail so I will spare you further explanation.
This book was hard to get through. It's even harder to review. There are very graphic depictions of violence so I'd strongly advise you to read the trigger warnings beforehand. I couldn't really discern if such descriptions were necessary to get the point across that Alex is a really bad guy but it certainly painted a really dark picture. In turn I thought that the execution of the characters was immaculate. The author came up with a slang called 'nadsat' which is only used by the youth and especially by the youth gangs. In a way it's a very descriptive language but it makes the characters sound very childish as well. There's a strange discrepancy when you hear the characters talk and at the same time they do these atrocious things which you'd never want to associate with a child. In my opinion this implicitly poses the question if criminals might just be less evolved like a child is less evolved than an adult. There are several instances when Alex clearly doesn't get what's happening around him which coincides with this thesis of mine. Other questions of ethics, morality, the criminal justice system and the freedom of choice come up as well. None of these are answered directly but the text offers different solutions and leaves the reader with a lingering sense of discomfort.
You can see why it has cult status and is seen by many as one of the classics. There's much more to be discussed so feel free to comment or text me.
#bookreview of 'A Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess
The story of 'A Clockwork Orange' centers around 15 year old Alex who is the leader of a youth gang and together with his 'droogs' he commits all sorts of violent crime. At some point Alex is caught and imprisoned. During that time he does not abstain from violence and finally he gets admitted to an experimental study called 'Ludovico's technique'. The experiment is supposed to condition his body to react negatively when confronted with crime and/or violence. I think we probably all know the scene from the eponymous film where Ludovico's technique is depicted in graphic detail so I will spare you further explanation.
This book was hard to get through. It's even harder to review. There are very graphic depictions of violence so I'd strongly advise you to read the trigger warnings beforehand. I couldn't really discern if such descriptions were necessary to get the point across that Alex is a really bad guy but it certainly painted a really dark picture. In turn I thought that the execution of the characters was immaculate. The author came up with a slang called 'nadsat' which is only used by the youth and especially by the youth gangs. In a way it's a very descriptive language but it makes the characters sound very childish as well. There's a strange discrepancy when you hear the characters talk and at the same time they do these atrocious things which you'd never want to associate with a child. In my opinion this implicitly poses the question if criminals might just be less evolved like a child is less evolved than an adult. There are several instances when Alex clearly doesn't get what's happening around him which coincides with this thesis of mine. Other questions of ethics, morality, the criminal justice system and the freedom of choice come up as well. None of these are answered directly but the text offers different solutions and leaves the reader with a lingering sense of discomfort.
You can see why it has cult status and is seen by many as one of the classics. There's much more to be discussed so feel free to comment or text me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Torture, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Pedophilia, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Police brutality