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A review by hezza
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I finally got around to reading this classic after swiping it from my placement year book swap.
It's an impressively visionary (for a book written in 1931!) exploration of a world operating at maximum control for societal stability,at the cost of complete rejection of the individual.
The hard hitting moment for me is the indifferent "well you asked for it" reaction of Mond (a world controller, a top dog) to John's (the 'Savage', an outsider to this stabilised civilisation) polemic to claim the extremes (of deep love, of beauty / tragedy, heroism / nobility) that are lost with maintaing that absolute stability. This exchange happens at end where the case for this stability has been illustrated throughout the book, and Mond is revealed to have also been heretical and is able to fully engage with the arguments for and against this stability.
This engagement is compelling enough to make you stop and question if it's acutally worth that tradeoff. To just exist and be 'happy' (until the sun expands and consumes the Earth, I guess).
Very thought provoking and highly recommend it!
It's an impressively visionary (for a book written in 1931!) exploration of a world operating at maximum control for societal stability,
The hard hitting moment for me is the indifferent "well you asked for it" reaction of Mond (a world controller, a top dog) to John's (the 'Savage', an outsider to this stabilised civilisation) polemic to claim the extremes (of deep love, of beauty / tragedy, heroism / nobility) that are lost with maintaing that absolute stability. This exchange happens at end where the case for this stability has been illustrated throughout the book, and Mond is revealed to have also been heretical and is able to fully engage with the arguments for and against this stability.
This engagement is compelling enough to make you stop and question if it's acutally worth that tradeoff. To just exist and be 'happy' (until the sun expands and consumes the Earth, I guess).
Very thought provoking and highly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Xenophobia, Murder