Brave New World

Is there a book you are ashamed of never having read? In my case, it was Brave New World. I had no excuse. It's a classic, rather short (about 300 pages), and was apparently enjoyable to read. But what made me decide was the series Brave New World. Based on the novel, not only is the appeal of the concept guaranteed, but it is also very appealing to the eyes (I must admit that the orgy scenes between perfectly beautiful humans are a part of it). The reviews are bad and it was cancelled, but what the hell, I like it.

The novel doesn't actually have much to do with the series. And, even though it embarasses me a little, I have to admit that it disappointed me.

Summary

In a distant future, everyone is happy, all the time; a drug with no side effects called "soma" distributed freely and without charge guarantees this. There are no more fathers or mothers: babies are born in test tubes and genetically modified to belong to distinct classes, each with its own function in society. They are conditioned from an early age to like their condition and not to question it. Hunger and poverty no longer exist. There is no more disease. It is a "perfect" world, in big quotes.

But not all humanity lives in this cocoon of bliss. There are still "savages", humans who still live in a primitive way: they practice monogamy and have children, live violent emotions and have to fight to survive. The contact between the two worlds must be done with great care, because who knows what it could lead to...

Impressions

The concept is excellent. We want to know everything about this future society, both utopian and dystopian. Especially since it doesn't seem so far-fetched: technically, we can say, we would have the means to create it.

But the book is too short. We barely have time to scratch the surface of this intriguing world. The characters remain unknowns until the end. The "savages" are caricatured representations of the so-called primitive societies, and the finale simply left me slightly perplexed, bordering on total indifference.

And then let's talk about the language. Very often I had the strange impression of understanding without understanding. The vocabulary and turns of phrase were strange, as if they had been mistranslated: for example, women were constantly referred to as "pneumatics," which I thought meant absolutely nothing. The dialogue was often hard to follow and sounded artificial, and the songs and slogans were far from catchy. Maybe it's meant to be, but if so, I didn't understand why.

At least I can say I read it. Check. I will now continue my bad series.