Are you interested in dystopian novels? A fan of classical literature? “Nineteen Eighty-Four" is definitely a book for you! 

George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” is a dystopian novel written in 1949. The novel explores a dystopian future ruled by a totalitarian Party within the miserable society of Oceania. This story follows a man named Winston Smith, whose job is to rewrite history. 

The Party, led by the mysterious Big Brother controls every aspect of life, from history to personal thoughts. The Party manipulates language and thought through Newspeak, the Party’s official language, serving as a tool for limiting thought and expressing ideas. Through destroying and simplifying language, Telescreens (devices that act as televisions, security cameras and microphones) inside the public’s homes, Hate Week and many other twisted methods of control, the Party seeks to prevent rebellion within the public. This novel tells the tale of a society stripped of any love, truth and free will. 

In his longing for freedom, Winston struggles against the Party’s oppressive rule through rebellion alongside a fellow Party member- Julia, with whom he has an affair with for the sake of rebellion. Throughout the story we follow Winston through his desperate attempts to restore life to the way it was before the rule of the Party, discreetly breaking the harsh rules away from public eyes and conspiring with fellow co-workers in secret. 

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I have greatly enjoyed it. This book is definitely a must-read for enjoyers of dystopian literature, classics and George Orwell’s works!