Category 6: A book about nature
Oryx and Crake
Author: Margaret Atwood
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Date read: October 8, 2018
Number of times read: 1
Format: audiobook/hardcoverSource: Audible/Laurier Library (sometimes I like to follow along with the audiobook in a physical copy)
Summary
Oryx and Crake is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future. 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. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining. -- via Goodreads
Oryx and Crake is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future. 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. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining. -- via Goodreads
Review
Because I'm a fan of post-apocalyptic and dystopian scifi, I had been wanting to use Oryx and Crake as a means of getting into Margaret Atwood for years. But before I could I managed to get more into her because of The Handmaid's Tale and Angel Catbird and in spite of Hag-Seed (I didn't think that one would because I loathe The Tempest which it's re-writing, but I hoped it would help me hate The Tempest less - sneak peek, it didn't...). So I took the whole trilogy out from the library I work at with the intention of getting around to them at some point. And then I decided to buy them all as Audible books because of my pleasant experience with The Handmaid's Tale. I knew from looking the book up that there was a big natural component to this dystopia, so it's the first book I thought of when I saw this category in the challenge. I had Year of the Flood and Maddaddam down for two slots in the PopSugar challenge but at some point this year my challenge completion went out the window so I decided to focus on trying to finish BookRiot and therefore PopSugar is DEFINITELY not getting completed. I may have been overly ambitious this year with challenges.
Now, after that whole ramble let's actually get into my review of this book. It jumps back and forth between the past and the present as Atwood weaves together the narrator, Snowman's, current predicament and story with how the world ended up how it did, and what Snowman's role was in getting it there. Snowman isn't the most reliable narrator and he's not a straight-up good guy but he's not a bad guy either. To put it in roleplay terms I'd probably cast him as True Neutral. I think that actually makes him a pretty compelling narrator/protagonist. Narratively he reminds me almost of the narrator from The Great Gatsby in that way.
Atwood has done an absolutely fantastic job of building this world. There's juxtaposition aplenty and it's all well done. You have the stark contrast between ragged, human Snowman, and the otherly beauty and naivety and perfection of the genetically engineered Children of Crake. There's the contrast between Crake and Snowman. I mentioned that Snowman would be True Neutral in my mind, well if that's the case, then Crake is definitely Lawful Evil. The prime example though is the setting. There are the seemingly lush jungles where the Children of Crake and Snowman live, that while filled with their own dangers (for Snowman at least), are not as dangerous as the wild and abandoned cities that fell during the apocalyptic phase.
Speaking of the apocalyptic phase, let's talk about that. Atwood's ruined cities remind me a lot of the ruined cities that you see in Westerfeld's Uglies series which was published two years after this but which I read first. It tackles similar themes too but in a much more adult manner than Westerfeld's book. I wonder if he's a fan and drew some inspiration from this? Maybe that also goes a long way to explaining why I liked it so much, I loved Uglies. I've digressed again, I'm supposed to be talking about the apocalyptic phase. There are some now very familiar dystopian tropes at play here. Something I've seen in more than one book this year even, and something which scarily we seem to be trying to make a reality. Corporations taking over and destroying the world for profit. Doesn't that hit a little close to home? I think Atwood tackles that familiar concept in a really refreshing way, with a lot more science than I've seen from others who use the trope.
Speaking of tropes though, annoyingly she shoe-horned in one of my least favourites, a love triangle. I hate love triangles. They don't add relationship drama, they're just annoying and overplayed. I wish she hadn't played it out that way at all. Another major complaint, for being one of the title characters Oryx ended up feeling much more like an object or a posession at times than a full-formed woman with her own agency. I think that really speaks to the narrator though so I give Atwood a little latitude there because it makes sense that that would be how Snowman would talk about her now that I put that in words.
Overall though I was really pleased with this book and I am excited to finish the saga at some point in 2019...sorry 2018, it's just not going to happen!
If you've seen this book and then stopped because you're not an Atwood fan (I know not everyone is), I say put that aside and focus on the genre. It's a fantastic example of the genre with a richly built world and it's a strong opening book that really makes you want to find out what is going to happen in the sequel.
Because I'm a fan of post-apocalyptic and dystopian scifi, I had been wanting to use Oryx and Crake as a means of getting into Margaret Atwood for years. But before I could I managed to get more into her because of The Handmaid's Tale and Angel Catbird and in spite of Hag-Seed (I didn't think that one would because I loathe The Tempest which it's re-writing, but I hoped it would help me hate The Tempest less - sneak peek, it didn't...). So I took the whole trilogy out from the library I work at with the intention of getting around to them at some point. And then I decided to buy them all as Audible books because of my pleasant experience with The Handmaid's Tale. I knew from looking the book up that there was a big natural component to this dystopia, so it's the first book I thought of when I saw this category in the challenge. I had Year of the Flood and Maddaddam down for two slots in the PopSugar challenge but at some point this year my challenge completion went out the window so I decided to focus on trying to finish BookRiot and therefore PopSugar is DEFINITELY not getting completed. I may have been overly ambitious this year with challenges.
Now, after that whole ramble let's actually get into my review of this book. It jumps back and forth between the past and the present as Atwood weaves together the narrator, Snowman's, current predicament and story with how the world ended up how it did, and what Snowman's role was in getting it there. Snowman isn't the most reliable narrator and he's not a straight-up good guy but he's not a bad guy either. To put it in roleplay terms I'd probably cast him as True Neutral. I think that actually makes him a pretty compelling narrator/protagonist. Narratively he reminds me almost of the narrator from The Great Gatsby in that way.
Atwood has done an absolutely fantastic job of building this world. There's juxtaposition aplenty and it's all well done. You have the stark contrast between ragged, human Snowman, and the otherly beauty and naivety and perfection of the genetically engineered Children of Crake. There's the contrast between Crake and Snowman. I mentioned that Snowman would be True Neutral in my mind, well if that's the case, then Crake is definitely Lawful Evil. The prime example though is the setting. There are the seemingly lush jungles where the Children of Crake and Snowman live, that while filled with their own dangers (for Snowman at least), are not as dangerous as the wild and abandoned cities that fell during the apocalyptic phase.
Speaking of the apocalyptic phase, let's talk about that. Atwood's ruined cities remind me a lot of the ruined cities that you see in Westerfeld's Uglies series which was published two years after this but which I read first. It tackles similar themes too but in a much more adult manner than Westerfeld's book. I wonder if he's a fan and drew some inspiration from this? Maybe that also goes a long way to explaining why I liked it so much, I loved Uglies. I've digressed again, I'm supposed to be talking about the apocalyptic phase. There are some now very familiar dystopian tropes at play here. Something I've seen in more than one book this year even, and something which scarily we seem to be trying to make a reality. Corporations taking over and destroying the world for profit. Doesn't that hit a little close to home? I think Atwood tackles that familiar concept in a really refreshing way, with a lot more science than I've seen from others who use the trope.
Speaking of tropes though, annoyingly she shoe-horned in one of my least favourites, a love triangle. I hate love triangles. They don't add relationship drama, they're just annoying and overplayed. I wish she hadn't played it out that way at all. Another major complaint, for being one of the title characters Oryx ended up feeling much more like an object or a posession at times than a full-formed woman with her own agency. I think that really speaks to the narrator though so I give Atwood a little latitude there because it makes sense that that would be how Snowman would talk about her now that I put that in words.
Overall though I was really pleased with this book and I am excited to finish the saga at some point in 2019...sorry 2018, it's just not going to happen!
If you've seen this book and then stopped because you're not an Atwood fan (I know not everyone is), I say put that aside and focus on the genre. It's a fantastic example of the genre with a richly built world and it's a strong opening book that really makes you want to find out what is going to happen in the sequel.
Overall Rating
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| 5 bolts! |
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