1984 by George Orwell - 3/5

I have mixed feelings about this book, but I don’t think you can deny it is an important work that has shaped how we think about politics and authoritarian regimes. Nineteen Eighty-Four is often described as a very male-centred text: it focuses far more on systems of power than on relationships or emotional interiority, which gives it a stark, cold quality and a distinctly male gaze perspective.

It is written so convincingly that readers from real-life dictatorships have reportedly found it hard to believe that George Orwell had not personally lived under one, which speaks to its unsettling accuracy.

There is also a lot of heavy sexism in the book. The character of Julia really is quite weak, but this is unsurprising, as historically Orwell doesn’t seem to understand (or respect) women in the slightest. 

Winston himself is a striking protagonist because he is so ordinary: unhealthy, unattractive, and unheroic. This is one of the book’s strengths, making him feel closer to a modern anti-hero than a traditional lead.

Overall, it is a powerful and unsettling novel. It can be slow in places, but the final sections are gripping and devastating, and it captures the fear and hopelessness of totalitarian control extremely effectively.