1984

It's that time of the year again where you need to read a book for school. I still don't like it when I need to do that, unless I can choose which book I want to read! Unfortunately, we need to pick books from a list. This time I chose the book 1984 by George Orwell. Last year, my Dutch teacher already talked about it and I was really interested but it's only until now that I gave it a try.

In 1984, the world is divided in three parts that are always in war with each other and will never stop fighting against each other. In one of those three parts lives Winston, he's being ruled by one group and above them stands Big Brother. Big Brother is watching you. 
People don't have any privacy and everybody needs to think only good things. In fact, it'd even be better if nobody thought at all. In this world you're being watched, and spied on by your own children. Big Brother is watching you in your own house. There's no escaping to him and his accomplices. And if you do think and it's bad or can be dangerous for the hierarchy... you'll be taken away. Gone forever. You're sick. They'll take you in your sleep, grab you from your family if you have any left. You'll be stabbed, slapped, hurt, broken. There'll be nothing left of you because they'll keep torturing you until you're no longer sick and worship Big Brother. And you can only hope that they don't make you go to room 101... What's in room 101? You already know what's behind that door, Winston.

And again, I don't really know how to feel about this book. I've really got mixed emotions about this dystopian book but I did like it slightly better than Life of Pi! Though I do have some remarks I want to point out after reading this book.

First of all, I was confused a lot. Eventually we get a lot of information about this new world, but it's more towards the end and at times I really missed having information. It just made it a little bit less pleasant to read because I was so lost with the words in this book.

Also, there are parts that happen all of a sudden. The main character was hating another character and BAM two pages later, without talking to that other person, he's okay with that other character. I kind of missed the story around this because he hated that character so much, what changed his opinion? And other things happen but then don't happen at the same time? I can't really give an example because then I'd spoil and I don't want that but this book just confused me at times...

I did like the story though, sometimes it was a little bit dreadful and boring but later it got better because of the dialogue. I really want dialogue in books, I need dialogue to make it interesting and in some parts I really missed that in this book but that made me eager to read on and find dialogue!

I really loved the main character Winston though! In the beginning I was a little bit like 'meh' but he did grow on me and I really thought the same as him. So that was really nice because at most times with books I need to read for school, I can't connect with the character. This time I really could.

He's really doubting with how this world works. This makes him question things a lot while he shouldn't be questioning at all. He's bringing himself in danger. I was really keen on that because he wanted to see change and was really seeking it. So he got deeper into the whole hierarchy and I got to understand the story better. 

Another character that comes around is Julia. I didn't like her, I did like that she was in the story because she really contributed to it and really made it a great book. It was just her personality, she was so unstable in my point of view. At a time she acts all nice and then she just can't be bothered. She hated the people that rule over her yet at other times she just doesn't care. And I really thought that was sad because I think her madness could have given more to this story.

The plot was like I already said sometimes a bit boring and confusing, nevertheless I did enjoy reading the book. Although it did take me a while to get into it! A very good aspect about the book was that you were like Winston. It felt like you were being spied on too because you had your own thoughts about this world. You get betrayed, you get thrilled and get scared and get your own suspicions when certain things enroll. I really liked it that the book made you feel so many things that the people in the book felt because they're constantly watched. 

So I did have mixed feelings about this book but I didn't regret reading it! I could connect with the characters and really felt like I lived in the book. It's a pity that I was confused sometimes and had some boring parts that I had to crawl through but I do think it's a good dystopian book that I had to read for school. I would only recommend it to people who like dystopian though because it's not a nice world and people who don't like to read dystopian might get easily bored out because of this book!

"War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength."