Literary Fiction | Book Chatter

1984
By George Orwell
Signet, 9780451524935, 1950 but originally in 1948, 352 pp.

The Short of It:

Prophetic and terrifying.

The Rest of It:

I’ve read 1984 three times in the past but the details didn’t’ stick with me. With our recent election, parts of the book kept coming back to me so I was curious to see how the book would hold up now.

Let’s just say that not only does it hold up, it mirrors certain recent events and beliefs. I found it to be absolutely terrifying and disturbing this time around.

Winston Smith is a Ministry employee. There are four ministries:

Ministry of Truth (news and entertainment, education)
Ministry of Peace (war)
Ministry of Love (law and order)
Ministry of Plenty (economic affairs)

None of these ministries are what they claim to be. Ministry of Love focuses on interrogation and torture. Ministry of Peace exists solely for the purpose of perpetuating war. Everyone must worship Big Brother, the eye in the sky that sees and hears everything via telescreens placed all over Oceania. The Ministry of Truth’s sole purpose is to destroy recorded history and to rewrite new history for consumption. The results of a war? Into the memory hole it goes and a new war is created.

Citizens are kept poor and hungry, are forced to work long laborious hours, and cannot even think a negative thought without the Thought Police breaking down their door. They are only allowed two minutes of hate a week, where all hate must be directed to one particular person. The joining of men and women can only be for procreation purposes, not as a result of desire. Children attend schools where they are taught spy tactics and are encouraged to turn their own parents in if the need should arise.

Everything goes sideways when Winston meets Julia. Could there be another person like him, who wants to fight the system? Could these people exist? Could they make a difference if they joined forces? These are all ridiculous thoughts and loosely concealed ones once Julia enters the picture.

Clandestine meetings can only go on for so long, and with so much risk. The way the story is told, you are on the edge of your seat every time they meet because Big Brother is everywhere and Julia’s lofty ideas about rebellion seem a little too perfect.

No one can be trusted which is why it’s so surprising when Winston befriends O’Brien. To Winston, O’Brien is the answer. O’Brien is the man who can save humanity. Winston bets everything on this.

Without completely ruining the ending for you, I’ll say that it’s impossible to read this story and interpret it in one way. It can go many different ways based on what stands out for you. Sayings, here and there, tiny hints and intentions tip you off and send you down a path of distrust. There are some aha moments but only when you compare the story to today’s politics.

I mean, if I thought that other party were big readers, I’d say they used 1984 as a playbook. Since they are going after books in schools, history, critical race theory and the like, it’s not hard to believe at all.

I read the final pages of this book four times and it can be interpreted two different ways. I won’t say which way I went with in case you all want to read it, but I do share my opinion in the read-along recap for Part 3.

1984 – Part 1
1984 – Part 2
1984 – Part 3

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Burn
By Peter Heller
Knopf, 9780593801628, August 2024, 304 pp.

The Short of It:

A stark warning to a divided country.

The Rest of It:

I’ve read a few books by Heller and all of them have left me a little speechless. All powerful, all a bit unsettling but this one, wow, I gotta take a moment.

In Burn, Storey and Jess start their annual hunting trip as they always do, except as they hike through Maine, they come across some alarming things. Maine is in the throes of secession and as they come across each town, they see the horrible devastation of what’s left behind. Evidence of a burn, evidence of attack. None of it good. As they make their way across the country, they begin to wonder what has happened back at home. Are their families safe? Surely, help would have been sent.

They quickly realize that their goal is simply survival, and getting back home but the enemy is not clear cut. They can’t tell secessionists from the military and everyone is fighting for supplies. As the journey continues, food is scarce, and mechanisms for getting home are scarce too. Boats? Not in the greatest shape and too obvious on the water. By foot? Long. Too long. They witness horrible things. No one can be trusted. They are on their own.

Enter a lost little girl.

Still unsure if there is even anything to go back to, home seems like such an elusive thing but then here is this girl, only six years old, desperately wanting to be with her parents. Are they even alive? How has she survived so far? Worried about their own survival but unable to leave a child to fend for herself in this bombed-out world, they take her on and their mission changes.

This story is bleak. There is little hope and honestly, it felt a little exhausting to be on this journey with Storey and Jess. All of the “what ifs” kept going through my mind . What would happen today if something like this happened? Could it? I feel as if it absolutely can which made it even more difficult to read.

Heller’s writing here is a warning. A warning that a divided country cannot win. How do you feel about that? I read this alongside my 1984 (read-along) and man, it put me in a dark place. And I kid you not, as I was typing this out, I received a phone call from the UNITED STATES. Probably spam but chilling. Like, hello, your country is calling you!

Ahem, If you love Heller, you will also appreciate this book but it’s bleak. You should know that going in. Lots to consider here. Would make a good discussion book.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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