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A review by dorinlazar
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Did not finish book.
This is an abandoned book, and here's why. First of all, the writer is incoherent at best, especially when she writes 'present day' stuff. It was disheartening to try to decrypt whatever the heck she tries to say; it's the sort of book that has the pretention to be read twice to be properly understood, but has little appeal to be read at least once.
Second of all, Atwood is the first woman writer to make me scream „women should stop writing male characters”. That's not how a male behaves, not a young male, not an adult male. But then I was obviously mislead. I realized that Atwood is unable to write women, games or society either, she basically cannot write anything good. Although I lie. I almost abandoned the book at chapter 3 - but I pushed through, really trying to see if the book gets any more coherent. It does, chapter 4 is actually readable! Woe is me! But chapter 4, while representing a serious portion of the book, like 10-12%, is singular, it seems, because the next chapters are as stupidly written as the first ones. It's an insult to the reader, and people recommending this book are recommending junk.
But enough with the insults. I should be sensible, and talk about the thing I understood. So this is a story told in a future where the human race has been completely devolved by the efforts of a singular man, and this story is told to us by one of his friends, a guy who calls himself Snowman. His father worked at a genetic engineering business and his mother abandoned him because of that very fact; although he had his father for more time around Snowman is unable to remember him, but sure, why not? His mother leaves the housing complex that feels like a fascist regime and, to give a killing blow to the fascist regime she steals her son's pet to „free” it. Also, she potentially has an affair with one of the guards-people of the housing complex, go her!
Unrelated, Snowman starts to remember stuff from school, and apparently the only entertainment available on the internet is beheadings, thieves' arms being cut, and, of course, the superior choice of child pornography. So unfortunately the only thing I know about Oryx is how, as an eight years old, she. That's right. And that's pretty much where I said I think it's enough, I am not interested in whatever Atwood has to say, especially as she delights in details such as the screenshot the boys took and later Snowman showed to Oryx.
I would have been interested to read how Atwood builds up on this, but, to be honest, Atwood is not interested in explaining either. Instead, after she throws this bomb at the reader goes on and waxes incoherently about whatever she thinks makes sense in the head of adult-Snowman.
So is it worth reading the book? Yes, definitely, go ahead, read the book, it's an experience. I cut my losses and dropped it at 30%, I have better things to read.
Second of all, Atwood is the first woman writer to make me scream „women should stop writing male characters”. That's not how a male behaves, not a young male, not an adult male. But then I was obviously mislead. I realized that Atwood is unable to write women, games or society either, she basically cannot write anything good. Although I lie. I almost abandoned the book at chapter 3 - but I pushed through, really trying to see if the book gets any more coherent. It does, chapter 4 is actually readable! Woe is me! But chapter 4, while representing a serious portion of the book, like 10-12%, is singular, it seems, because the next chapters are as stupidly written as the first ones. It's an insult to the reader, and people recommending this book are recommending junk.
But enough with the insults. I should be sensible, and talk about the thing I understood. So this is a story told in a future where the human race has been completely devolved by the efforts of a singular man, and this story is told to us by one of his friends, a guy who calls himself Snowman. His father worked at a genetic engineering business and his mother abandoned him because of that very fact; although he had his father for more time around Snowman is unable to remember him, but sure, why not? His mother leaves the housing complex that feels like a fascist regime and, to give a killing blow to the fascist regime she steals her son's pet to „free” it. Also, she potentially has an affair with one of the guards-people of the housing complex, go her!
Unrelated, Snowman starts to remember stuff from school, and apparently the only entertainment available on the internet is beheadings, thieves' arms being cut, and, of course, the superior choice of child pornography. So unfortunately the only thing I know about Oryx is how, as an eight years old, she
Spoiler
sucked on a tourist's cockI would have been interested to read how Atwood builds up on this, but, to be honest, Atwood is not interested in explaining either. Instead, after she throws this bomb at the reader goes on and waxes incoherently about whatever she thinks makes sense in the head of adult-Snowman.
So is it worth reading the book? Yes, definitely, go ahead, read the book, it's an experience. I cut my losses and dropped it at 30%, I have better things to read.