A review by lynneelue
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

2.0

There were some good literary devices, themes, and messages in this book. Nice repetition of words, like "blue," "glass," "clear," and "sharp." Nice ideology between happiness vs. freedom, as well as "I" vs. "we," as well as the concept of "control," "love," and "logic." Nice foil between I-330 (sharp, plotting I) and O-90 (round, innocent O). Nice horror of The Great Operation to eradicate "painful" imagination, and the Benefactor's Machine and gas-ing technique to get information. I thought his fear of having a "soul" was cute. I didn't really get who the Benefactor was, or what was happening downstairs behind the closet where D-503 once found I-330, or why females had to die after giving birth. Where were all the children? Why was D-503 writing a record book for his ancestors?--how does he imagine they're going to read this, lol? What was the INTEGRAL (was it an airship to blast the society into a new planet?)? I'm pretty sure I-330 didn't actually like D-503, and I can absolutely see how this book was banned for so long. The book had a narrative arc very familiar to 1984, which makes sense considering this was 1984's inspiration. I didn't enjoy it because I didn't really understand much of the plot, so I couldn't truly appreciate the nuances, and this short book just dragged on and on.