Nineteen Eighty-Four

I have this bad, irrational habit of comparing George Orwell's 1984 to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. I remember enjoying BNW more than I did NEF, but I don't recall much of Huxley's book itself, so I might have to reread it at some point in my life to form a better, proper, and solid opinion.

Having said that, I know NEF is a good book, I really do. I understand why it's a classic, and I surely understand—and feel—its importance, but, at the same time, I can't say I enjoyed reading it. I know not all good books are enjoyable, and maybe enjoying it wasn't the point, but I can't help expecting to like a book I'm reading for no other reason than because I want to, can I? And the issue here is not only that NEF is depressing—it is—, I happen to like a lot of depressing books, but to me it felt overly repetitive at some points—though I believe it was intentional—, and I didn't feel for Winston, the protagonist, as much as I felt for the society in which he lived in. I didn't dislike Winston, that's not the problem, I just didn't care for him; this is, in my opinion, the worst thing that can happen in a story—it's very possible that I am the problem, so I hope I'm not discouraging anyone here. Read it. Take your own conclusions. I know lots of people who love this novel wholeheartedly.

It goes without saying that it gave me a lot to think about my own reality and what our times are coming to. I flinched every time I had a flash of recognition at one point or another. Up to discussion: is it possible to develop a society like this? I would like my answer to be, “I don't think so,” but right now it's way more like, “I hope not.”

Four stars. Yeah. It's truly a brilliant book—just not an enjoyable one.