Book info

• Title Nineteen Eighty-Four
• Author George Orwell
• Year 1949
• Genre Science Fiction

'Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past'. Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the all-seeing telescreens and the watchful eye of Big Brother, symbolic head of the Party. In his longing for truth and liberty, Smith begins a secret love affair with a fellow-worker Julia, but soon discovers the true price of freedom is betrayal.

Thoughts

I vaguely remember attempting to read this book a couple of times when I was younger, probably far too young to really make sense of it. That would explain why I only ever got to the first few chapters.

I had recollections of Winston sitting at his desk and rewriting bits of history but that was pretty much all I knew about the story. This time round, I was loving it and easily got through the first half of the book.

I stalled a bit when I got to the book inside the book. I’m all for books having a message and this kind of dystopian novel is clearly trying to give the author’s view on what the future could be like, but he was doing a perfectly fine job within the confines of the story. The book within a book sort of bored me a little, and then I felt guilty for feeling bored, and then I just wanted to get to the end.

But that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. It’s a fascinating portrayal of life, and I particularly loved the conversation Winston had with his friend about how the new language is constructed and being whittled down to essentially nothing. Plenty to learn and take in, I suspect I shall have to read this again when I am again a bit older and perhaps a bit wiser too.

Rating: 4 / 5