1984 by George Orwell

MODERN CLASSIC (and a note on genre)

Just read this mind-blowing book, 1984 by George Orwell — have you heard of it??

This is one of those books that I’ve meant to read for years but I just hadn’t got round to it. No real excuses, it just hadn’t happened. Until it did. 

A synopsis of what is arguably Orwell’s masterpiece seems a little futile so I’m not going there. What I want to talk about this morning is genre. I’ve always been asked what genre of book I prefer and truth be told, I just love excellent writing and ultimately, it depends on my mood. 

But — and there is but. There *is* a genre that speaks to me above all others and I think the sheer amount and variety of books Chaya and I have been reading here @thebibliofilles has made me realise that. There is one genre that takes me to ‘a different plane of life’ (I’m quoting verbatim the voice note I sent to Chaya when I finished this book) and it has to be dystopian fiction. Because this is the genre that makes me question everything; when the unreal becomes real in your mind and even if it isn’t real in the reality we live and breathe in day to day, you can bet that in some way, shape or form, it could well be and at some point soon. Need I point out the world we are currently living in as I write this….?

So this kind of speculative fiction is totally and utterly my thing. It makes me question everything and casts a new light onto life itself. Does that sound dramatic? Maybe. In my opinion, it isn’t dramatic enough though. This is literal food for my soul because these are the books that change me. In a way, I’m glad I didn’t get round to this one for so long — it was absolutely worth every second of the wait.

~ Sophie