1984 by George Orwell
1984
by George Orwell
Dystopian | Speculative
322 Pages
Released 2021
Rating: ★★★ 1/2
Goodreads
Content Warnings
Continuing on my classic’s journey, I wanted to pick up yet another dystopian novel (something about cold weather and recent events made it feel appropriate). So, where better than than this chilling tale of surveillance and indoctrination?
This book follows Winston Smith, who leaves in London, part of the dystopian province of Oceania (the other provinces being Eastasia and Eurasia). Winston is a member of the Party, a shadowy government organization that controls all aspects of its citizens lives through 24/7 surveillance. Watched over by their beloved “Big Brother”, Winston has become disenchanted with his life. But such thoughts are forbidden, and downright illegal. But one day, when a young woman catches his eye, Winston realizes he may not be the only one quietly rebelling against the system.
I’ve read a lot of dystopians, but very few more chilling than this. There is something so utterly depressing and despondent about the world that Winston lives in. Every action is monitored, every thought scrutinized. It’s a world of constant indoctrination and control. Orwell does an excellent job of painting a grim, bleak world filled with misinformation and suppression. The fact that the reader is provided so little outside of Winston’s perspective makes the whole story feel claustrophobic and choking.
The characters are also intriguing and depressing in their own way. I didn’t really feel connected to any of them but I found them to be interesting anyway. This book is filled with a near-constant tension that made the whole story rather stressful to read.
The only part where I really struggled with this story is there is a large section that is a book-within-a-book. Normally I don’t mind this but it felt so textbook info-dumpy that I found myself skimming the majority of it.
Overall, I found this to be a fantastic dystopian and I can definitely see why it is so highly regarded.