Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Published: 2003
Pages: 374
Genre: Science fiction, dystopian
Series: MaddAddam Trilogy book 1

Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey - with the help of the green-eyed children of Crake - through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. (from back of book)

This book was generously given to me by Marce from Tea Time With Marce. I'd really like to thank her, because I've once again discovered a great book trilogy. Having read multiple books by this author, I was bracing myself for something strange with Oryx and Crake.

Despite my anticipation, I was not prepared for the insanely crazy yet oddly realistic world that Atwood created in this book. I was immersed in a world where families live in secured compounds, "pigoons" are genetically made to grow organs, strange wolf-dog hybrids (called a "wolvog") roams the earth, and a synthetically made plague killed off most of the human population. It was very weird, but incredibly fascinating and, ironically enough, not that far-fetched at all.

The characters in this book are so interesting, and I say that in the most literal sense of the word. Snowman comes across as a negative, depressed guy. But once we learn of his past and all the events that lead up to this assumption, it's understandable. Crake, the science genius, is too mysterious for words. His seemingly twisted ideology of the world is disturbing, but, at the same time, brilliant. I wasn't sure whether he was to be trusted or not - what fun! Oryx is probably the most incomprehensible character of all. She ressembles a young girl Snowman and Crake saw in their childhood, and is innocent and naive in adulthood. Just who is she?

I must say, though, that this book isn't straightforward in the least. It jumps around, it's vague, it's confusing, it's strange. That's why I love it! It's one of those books that would make no sense if all the information was laid out on a silver platter. Its strength is in its ability to force the reader to think in other ways and other perspectives.

As for writing style, it seems Atwood has drifted away from her exquisite imagery and eloquent language to focus more on the character/plot aspects. That's not to say that she has written this book badly - not at all! It was still a complete pleasure to read, but I don't feel the writing compares to that of, say, Cat's Eye. To tell you the truth, I was oblivious to this until I finished the book and was reflecting back on what I just read. In no way does it spoil the book.

On the whole, Oryx and Crake feels like a whole new level of literature. It's scary, crazy, fantastic, and wonderful. The next time I go to the library, can you guess what I'll be looking for? The sequel, of course: The Year of the Flood.

Recommendation: Atwood lovers won't want to miss this book. If you're not a fan already, and you're willing to try something new (that might scare you a bit), consider Oryx and Crake.

Life as we Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Published: 2006
Genre: YA fiction
Pages: 337

Miranda is an ordinary teen living in an ordinary world - that is, until a meteor crashes into the moon and drastically alters the world's climate. At the beginning, no one takes this event seriously, including Miranda. But after a few days the grocery stores run out of food, gas prices go up, and the weather gets worse. Soon Miranda finds her family struggling to stay alive and see the world get back to normal.

There's no questioning whether this is an interesting idea for a book. I mean, dystopian fiction seems to be all the rage these days, but for some reason I really wanted to read Life as we Knew It. As you can see, I did. In fact, I finished it just moments ago. And now I can say it didn't have the shocking effect on me that I was expecting.

So, there was this huge lunar impact that totally threw the earth's climate off kilter. Eventually, Miranda and her family were struggling to stay alive and were even skipping meals in order to conserve food. Big tragedy, big problem. But, oddly enough, it didn't seem like such a big deal to me! Yes, I know what you're thinking - if I went through that in real life I would be the last one to complain about the seriousness of the situation. When I read a book like this, though, I'm wanting to be amazed, I'm wanting to be disgusted, I'm wanting to read something that seems so impossible it's almost scary. Life as we Knew It just didn't do that for me. There were obviously some emotional moments, and there were moments when Miranda re-evaluated her priorities and her desires. Yes, there was all that good stuff. At times I was touched, and I even felt for her. But in the grand scheme of things I wasn't overly impressed.

The diary entry type of narration was a cute idea, but it honestly didn't come across as such. The only indication of this was the date written as each day went by. Other than that, the book felt pretty average in terms of writing. Now, don't think that I'm judging the book based solely on the narration style - I'm not! It actually served a purpose, which was to remind us that the days, months and seasons were passing by.

(Potential spoilers ahead - beware!)

There was something else that really bothered me, and that was the fact that near the end of the book Miranda just stopped caring. She didn't seem to value her life and ignored the fact that she and her family came so far. She even walked into town with the intention of not making it back home, so that there would be enough food for her stronger, more important brother to make it. That struck me as a bit odd, and I was concerned as to why Miranda valued her life less than her brother's, and why she felt that he was the only one who deserved to live. This event lead up to the grand finale ending, which was on the verge of being a happy one. But I must admit, it felt a bit rushed. Throughout the whole book there's all this build up and then - wham! It's all over.

(Spoilers done!)

Now that I'm re-reading my review of Life as we Knew it, it sounds like I'm making this book out to be terrible. Actually, there were many instances where I enjoyed it, and I'm definitely not sorry I read it. All in all, it was a solid and quick dystopian read that had its ups and downs. The characters were believable and had their distinct personalities, but there were minor flaws in the plot which seem to have stuck with me.

Recommendation: Fans of YA dystopian novels would like this one, of course! But if you don't normally read those books, give this a try if you're on the lookout for something different.

Animals by Don LePan

Published: 2009
Pages: 179
Genre: Fiction (Dystopian)

Set in somewhere in the unknown future where people no longer own dogs or cats as pets. Instead, they own actual human children who have mental or physical disabilities. These "mongrels" have been deemed "not human" and are subject to treatment of animals. We follow the story of a mongrel named Sam and a girl named Naomi. She forms a special understanding for this young boy and is frustrated with the cruel world around her.

With a plotline like that, it's a miracle that I actually picked this one out from the library! I think it was the strangeness that intruiged me. And I was intruiged until the very end!

I found LePan's writing style to be very odd. His sentences were incessantly long! If I wrote like that on an english essay at school, I would fail for sure. But I guess it worked for him. At times it was agrivating because I found it hard to keep track of what was being said. However, he got the point across in an effective and different way that was very fitting for this type of novel.

Now I'd like to focus on what really got me - the incomparable plot. Basically, Animals displays a world where we've lost our humanity. We've lost our empathy and our understanding. And what do we have left? A place where we abuse our own species even more than we do now.

This book is really important. LePan has so many messages that he'd like to englighten the world with, and he used this book to do just that. While reading, I was constantly asking myself questions and pondering the various points that were raised. It's so sad how people who don't measure up to our standards are treated like dirt. When people no longer want to take care of the mogrels, they send them off to a farm where they are kept in dirty pens and fattened up. Once they reach the prime age for "harvesting", they are lined up and transported to the slaughter house where they are killed and packaged to eat. While this seems cannibalistic and disgusting, LePan wrote about this to raise awareness about the cruelty we inflict on the animals we eat.

While this is an odd and sometimes disturbing piece of work, I must say that I enjoyed Animals very much. It made me think, and it made me want to take action against the mistreatment of animals.

Final say: This book is destined to become a classic in modern literature. After reading it, be prepared to have a totally different outlook on our world and our way of life. Animals is a must read!

HAVE A WONDERFUL VALENTINE'S DAY!

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Published: 1985
Pages: 388
Genre: Fiction

Set in the future, this is the story of Offred, a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead (once the United States). In this new era, the fertility rate is low, therefore the women who can reproduce are "owned" by the powerful Commanders. They are forced to have sex once a month in hopes of bearing a child. The women in this society are not allowed to read, write, be original, or be free. We follow Offred, a Handmaid, as she attempts to remember her forgotten past and uncover the mysteries of what happened.

The Handmaid's Tale is a very unconventional and original novel, there's no doubt about that. It's my second Atwood book (after Alias Grace, which I really enjoyed) so I was quite excited to dig in.

This is not a book that you should read to be entertained, but rather, to be enlightened. There isn't any action, and there aren't any fast-paced or exciting events. However, that's not what the book is about. Atwood wrote this as a warning to all of us, to raise awareness about the repression of women in many societies that still exist today. In the Republic of Gilead, women are solely valued for their ovaries - and only if they're in good working order. They cannot work, make money, have relationships (whether friendly or romantic), or be educated. Sadly, we hear of these sorts of things still happening in this day and age. Certainly, The Handmaid's Tale is taken to the extreme, but, as Atwood says in the afterword, nothing included in her book hasn't already happened in history. And doesn't the saying go: "History always repeats itself"?

Another part of the book that I really enjoyed was Atwood's writing style as a whole. The simplicity of her narrative creates the feeling that we're listening to a real, average woman speaking. Here's a passage that stuck with me:

A window, two white curtains. Under the window, a window seat with a little cushion. When the window is partly open - it only opens partly - the air can come in and make the curtains move.

When she described the wind rustling the curtains as "make the curtains move", I was pleasantly surprised by that tiny detail. There's no need to over-describe things to sound like more of an author, and that's what I like about Atwood's writing. It's effortless and uncomplicated. Which, for me, packs more of a punch.

The Handmaid's Tale is an essential book containing many relevant themes and messages that are sometimes not talked about enough these days. It begs to be read by anyone and everyone.

Final verdict: Must-read! You might want to purchase this one and add it to your collection.