Tanvi Bhadre Portfolio Bhadre Portfolio itibaren Ashokpur, Uttar Pradesh, Hindistan
One of the worst books I've read. Save yourself some time and don't bother!
It has been about 5 years since I have read it and although I do not remember too many specifics, I remember very clearly my overall impression of the book. If you enjoy disutopias, such as Animal Farm, then you must read this one. Zamyatin also warns of the negative potential of a totalitarian, socialist regime (the emerging USSR in his case). One significant difference between Zamyatin and Orwell is that Zamyatin wrote this book in the early 1920’s, as opposed to Orwell in the 1940’s! My intent is not to take anything away from the vision of Orwell, but note that Zamyatin truly foresaw what could (and in part did) happen. This prescience of Zamyatin amazed me. It is not written as an allegory like Animal Farm, but rather in the style of 1984. While I liked 1984, I felt that We is much more accessible, and not just because it is shorter. It is captivating and easy to read, even for those not enthralled by the genre. It does not seem to be written with the bitterness of one oppressed by an unjust regime. Instead I sensed the love of a country and a concern (or even fear) of what might occur, and in turn destroy it. While this is conjecture on my part regarding Zamyatin’s motivation, this is what I felt, which affected how I received the story. This underlying emotion helped me engage with several layers of the book and not simply enjoy a plot as one would with a thriller. Nonetheless, even without recognizing and probing the complexity of the subtext, it is possible to appreciate the basic story line.