Julia. Sandra Newman

This is a re-telling/re-working of 1984 through eyes and mind of Julia. It’s remarkably grim and powerful

The style (in terms of vocabulary and sentence construction in particular)r, recalls Orwell, sometimes very closely. It’s a very effectively sophisticated execution of this, in that it is like Orwell but not identical, not being simplistically imitative or over-emphatic. It confirms the stunningly bleak view of humans, governance and history of the original. This is also applied to relationships, which are often depressingly transactional. In addition, as if more pessimism was required there is a very grim view of self-worth.

The markedly shorter Part 3 contains many very dramatic reversals and revelations. The Chestnut Tree café depiction was a highlight for me. It superbly built on the hints given in original but here it is all superbly and plausibly fleshed out. The end of Chapter 21, makes a superb equivalence between Hate and Love – identical in terms of having to give oneself to each and which cannot be made up or their truth forced upon anyone. The Party realizes this as regards power (and the use of Hate) and loving B which are the two sides of the same coin. This more than anything else, confirms a very bleak view of homo sapiens.

The work concludes with a very clever, powerful and intriguing final chapter about which I will say no more. But it leaves much food for thought.