Review
An e-arc of the book has been provided by the publisher, Palazzo Editions, in exchange for an honest review.
Going into this without any knowledge of George Orwell’s 1984 is really something else. There are a lot to consider when you read a graphic novel that has been adapted from an actual novel. So, keeping in mind my first statement, I am reviewing this book on its own. I have no way of knowing the the graphic novel’s fidelity. All I can say was that it astounded me.
“But if all others accept a lie, then that lie passes into history and becomes truth. “Who controls the past, controls the future. Who controls the present, controls the past.” Whatever is true now is true for everlasting to everlasting. All tat is needed is an unending series of victories over your own memory.”
Beginning with the theme of dystopia. Boy, oh, boy was I shookt! I was already a voracious reader when the era of dystopian novel rose from nowhere. And right now, I feel awful to not have read this book at the time. The eerie tone of this dystopian novel really ascended it to powerful horror book. I mean, who can live in a world where all your actions can be seen by the ‘government’? That is just absolute bonkers! Moreover, the horrendous violence and torture in this book is breathtaking (not in a metaphorical sense, but it actually will take your breath away) — so it is something to consider.
As per the characters, I think they were nice. But I believe they were not given as much focus as the story itself. It did not bother me at all even if I am a huge character driven reader. The alarming message of the novel was conveyed strongly through the amazing illustrations even without a deep dive of the characters. However, the characters were given a foundation, I just felt like there could have been more if it was to be character driven.
“In my opinion, the war isn’t happening, The rockets falling daily on London? — probably fired by our lot — by the government of Oceania itself, just to keep people frightened.”
Jumping unto the art choice. Wow! WOW! There is an undeniably strong American comic style in the drawing. Maybe it is just my lack of knowledge of the art form, but I have seen quite a few American comic and the vibe this book gave was similar to it. I love the stylistic choice of shading; I really appreciated the dotting and scratches. It gave off such a significantly aged and grunge look that provided depth for the story. The use of tritone also provided an interesting perspective to the story — the compression of story within a black, white, and red colour tone supplied a knowingness that the story is definitely not one that is joyous. The only problem I had was with some of the panels. They can get quite confusing at times. Maybe it is because I read it in pdf and it took too much to zoom in and out of the screen to really get an easy grasp of the usage of panel, but nevertheless, it really threw me off at times.
“To know and not to know. Consciously to induce unconsciousness whilee telling carefully constructed lies. To hold simultaneously two contradictory opinions, believing in both. To be conscious of complete truthfulness and then, once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you have just performed.”
I am astounded by this novel. The story so poignant and dreadfully real that it makes you question the truth of what you’re living in. It is not just a work of fiction; it is a message hidden behind a book — a knowledge l that it cannot be appreciated at face value alone. Add to that, the fascinating artistic input within the book. I can only say that this graphic novel is a true work of art.
About the Author
Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist. His work is marked by keen intelligence and wit, a profound awareness of social injustice, an intense opposition to totalitarianism, a passion for clarity in language, and a belief in democratic socialism.
In addition to his literary career Orwell served as a police officer with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma from 1922-1927 and fought with the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War from 1936-1937. Orwell was severely wounded when he was shot through his throat. Later the organization that he had joined when he joined the Republican cause, The Workers Party of Marxist Unification (POUM), was painted by the pro-Soviet Communists as a Trotskyist organization (Trotsky was Joseph Stalin’s enemy) and disbanded. Orwell and his wife were accused of “rabid Trotskyism” and tried in absentia in Barcelona, along with other leaders of the POUM, in 1938. However by then they had escaped from Spain and returned to England.
Between 1941 and 1943, Orwell worked on propaganda for the BBC. In 1943, he became literary editor of the Tribune, a weekly left-wing magazine. He was a prolific polemical journalist, article writer, literary critic, reviewer, poet, and writer of fiction, and, considered perhaps the twentieth century’s best chronicler of English culture.
Orwell is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (published in 1949) and the satirical novella Animal Farm (1945) — they have together sold more copies than any two books by any other twentieth-century author. His 1938 book Homage to Catalonia, an account of his experiences as a volunteer on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War, together with numerous essays on politics, literature, language, and culture, have been widely acclaimed.
Orwell’s influence on contemporary culture, popular and political, continues decades after his death. Several of his neologisms, along with the term “Orwellian” — now a byword for any oppressive or manipulative social phenomenon opposed to a free society — have entered the vernacular.
