1984 (1949)

 

George Orwell's classic is still one of the greatest sci-fi novels ever written.

This book takes place in the futuristic year of 1984 (or at least our main character believes that is the year). The government of that time is always watching and controls every aspect of people's lives. Not just content at making the populace obey them, the government wants to control how people think making them also emotionally and mentally submissive. Our main character, Winston, works for the system, rewriting historical records. However quietly he finds himself questioning the system. This comes further out when he falls in love with a younger woman, Julie.    

It is rare to find a book that leaves me feeling emotionally drained after reading. Yet that is just what this book did for me. There were times when it felt emotionally unbearable but at the same time, I couldn't help but want to continue reading.

 Some critics have almost described this as simply a political essay presented as a novel. I can see some truth in this. There are many parts of this book where not much is happening narratively but there are many deep thought-provoking statements being made. At the same time though this description does a great injustice to the actual book. What makes this novel work so well has to do with its story-telling abilities. The world building is brilliant here. We not only get a glimpse into this dark future, but we understand the inner workings down to the smallest details. We don't question to ourselves how such a future could possibly happen because we can see this for ourselves. This is one of the most engrossing and convincing sci-fi worlds in all of fiction. That is feels so believable is what makes this story all the more terrifying. The two main characters of Winston and Julie are completely engrossing. We learn to care about them on a deep personal level. Even their romance is completely believable and fleshed out. If we were not so engrossed in these characters, then the last third of this book would be so emotionally impactful. If this book just simply expressed its political ideology, one would read and understand the themes but would be impacted by them. However, this book's themes about censorship, surveillance, classism and nationalism stick with us in a way they wouldn't in a political essay. They not only stick with us but will work our way into our understanding of various political and social issues. Any time you listen to many political conversations after this, you will find your referring back to this book.

  1984 is probably one of the greatest and most impactful examples of the power of fiction to affect the way, we perceive the world around us. It is still just as powerful and sadly relevant today as ever.