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A review by yuripiano
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Gosh. Okay.
Should I sit with my thoughts before writing a review?
Probably.
Will I?
...
So anyway, I just finished reading this - there's so much here, where to even begin...
Genly Ai. Sometimes, I wish to beat you with a stick.
Estraven, my sweet Gethenian, I wish to give you the stick to beat Genly Ai.
This is a gross over-exaggeration but MMMNGH Genly I swear some of the choices you made are questionable at best and misogynistic at worst and AAAAGH you're truly one of the protagonists of all time.
Is protagonist even the word I want? I mean I suppose so, but... it doesn't really feel like a story with a protagonist or even a pair of protagonists, so much as a story that happens, and there happens to be two main characters living that story, and through them, things happen, if that makes sense? It's strange and compelling, and for some reason I'm having a hard time describing it, and consequently my feelings about it.
It was good, though.
I want to make that clear - there often are books where I read them and think "wow, that was a lot, I probably need to reread it to really get it," but I know I never will as a function of lack of time/will.
This is one I could easily see myself actually rereading.
Because, I mean, there's just so much - the interludes breaking up Estraven and Genly's stories serve as such wonderful world building, but I don't think I would truly be able to get every last ounce of meaning from them without multiple rereads and analyses, and I think that's really cool!
But, at the same time, I feel like I'm maybe slightly biased by having just finished it and also knowing it's a pretty revered book in its own right.
To that end, I'm not sure if this is another reason why I need to reread this, but, I wasn't... satisfied with the exploration of gender in it.
Like, I enjoyed what was there!
But coming through the voice of a flawed and misogynistic main character in Genly Ai, I feel like I was left... wanting for more. A big part of that comes in Le Guin's usage of he/him pronouns for the Gethenians as a whole - she has expressed her feelings over her pronoun usage in essay, but I really just want to reiterate what she's already noted elsewhere that I really don't feel like I got a sense of the "duality" of most Gethenians, least of all Estraven.
Heck, any time showing this came up, it was always at the anger or disappointment of Genly, which, I know, kind of was the point, but it still annoyed me.
... I guess, this was supposed to make me feel uncomfortable, and while that's fine, I still wanted "more" overall - show me this side possibly from Estraven's perspective more, and this would have been nice, and additionally, if we're going with the usage of he/him pronouns being a function of Genly's internalized misogyny/sexism/conformity to expected gender roles, would it have hurt for sections from Estraven's perspective to use they/them, it/its, or some other form of neopronoun instead?
(According to the author at the time, yes, but she would later go on to say that she was okay with they/them pronoun usage... and stars, I really wish she had put them in here)
This is turning out so long I'm so sorry sljkdfjklsd I just, have so many feelings, and I really did enjoy this a lot, and there's so much to talk about, and while the story did make me think about gender and the role it plays in society, I find myself wanting for more from an already progressive book for its time.
Solid read, definitely would recommend to anyone, but Genly, I hope you stub your toe or step on an Ekumenical Lego.
Pros:
- The world building is top notch, Karhide and Orgoreyn feel real and distinct
- The writing itself is beautiful
- Estraven is a darling
Cons:
- He/Him pronoun usage is jarring and exclusionary given the gender construct the book seeks to dismantle
- The emphasis on duality seems to leave out any sort of gender expression outside it, which leaves me feeling like nonbinary voices are "unheard" in a way
- I am eternally upset thatGenly and Estraven did not have a steamy moment together in the tent on the Gobrin Ice, like, COME ON, YOU WERE SO CLOSE, but I guess that's what AO3 is for
Should I sit with my thoughts before writing a review?
Probably.
Will I?
...
So anyway, I just finished reading this - there's so much here, where to even begin...
Genly Ai. Sometimes, I wish to beat you with a stick.
Estraven, my sweet Gethenian, I wish to give you the stick to beat Genly Ai.
This is a gross over-exaggeration but MMMNGH Genly I swear some of the choices you made are questionable at best and misogynistic at worst and AAAAGH you're truly one of the protagonists of all time.
Is protagonist even the word I want? I mean I suppose so, but... it doesn't really feel like a story with a protagonist or even a pair of protagonists, so much as a story that happens, and there happens to be two main characters living that story, and through them, things happen, if that makes sense? It's strange and compelling, and for some reason I'm having a hard time describing it, and consequently my feelings about it.
It was good, though.
I want to make that clear - there often are books where I read them and think "wow, that was a lot, I probably need to reread it to really get it," but I know I never will as a function of lack of time/will.
This is one I could easily see myself actually rereading.
Because, I mean, there's just so much - the interludes breaking up Estraven and Genly's stories serve as such wonderful world building, but I don't think I would truly be able to get every last ounce of meaning from them without multiple rereads and analyses, and I think that's really cool!
But, at the same time, I feel like I'm maybe slightly biased by having just finished it and also knowing it's a pretty revered book in its own right.
To that end, I'm not sure if this is another reason why I need to reread this, but, I wasn't... satisfied with the exploration of gender in it.
Like, I enjoyed what was there!
But coming through the voice of a flawed and misogynistic main character in Genly Ai, I feel like I was left... wanting for more. A big part of that comes in Le Guin's usage of he/him pronouns for the Gethenians as a whole - she has expressed her feelings over her pronoun usage in essay, but I really just want to reiterate what she's already noted elsewhere that I really don't feel like I got a sense of the "duality" of most Gethenians, least of all Estraven.
Heck, any time showing this came up, it was always at the anger or disappointment of Genly, which, I know, kind of was the point, but it still annoyed me.
... I guess, this was supposed to make me feel uncomfortable, and while that's fine, I still wanted "more" overall - show me this side possibly from Estraven's perspective more, and this would have been nice, and additionally, if we're going with the usage of he/him pronouns being a function of Genly's internalized misogyny/sexism/conformity to expected gender roles, would it have hurt for sections from Estraven's perspective to use they/them, it/its, or some other form of neopronoun instead?
(According to the author at the time, yes, but she would later go on to say that she was okay with they/them pronoun usage... and stars, I really wish she had put them in here)
This is turning out so long I'm so sorry sljkdfjklsd I just, have so many feelings, and I really did enjoy this a lot, and there's so much to talk about, and while the story did make me think about gender and the role it plays in society, I find myself wanting for more from an already progressive book for its time.
Solid read, definitely would recommend to anyone, but Genly, I hope you stub your toe or step on an Ekumenical Lego.
Pros:
- The world building is top notch, Karhide and Orgoreyn feel real and distinct
- The writing itself is beautiful
- Estraven is a darling
Cons:
- He/Him pronoun usage is jarring and exclusionary given the gender construct the book seeks to dismantle
- The emphasis on duality seems to leave out any sort of gender expression outside it, which leaves me feeling like nonbinary voices are "unheard" in a way
- I am eternally upset that
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism and Misogyny