Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

It is strange. I am sitting here, having just finished reading Brave New World, and I don't know what to think. I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the language and the story line kept moving. I would pick the book up and, in what would feel like no time at all, I was chapters ahead of where I had started. So why didn't I like the story? Because clearly I did?

Aldous Huxley creates a utopian world where everyone is happy. People are made (yes, not born) to be satisfied with their jobs, they have soma to make them happy and are conditioned from a young age to not fear death. Also in this world, recreational sex is encouraged. There are no lifelong partnerships, no Gods and no unpleasantness. As a reader though, I could not help but feel that all this happiness was frivolous. There was no value to any of the lives being lived. People were like bees in a hive, each performing their tasks and doing what they were told, their existence falsely sweetened by honey. It was definitely thought-provoking especially as we live in a society that equates freedom with happiness. There was no freedom. There was no art. Even their entertainment was shallow and meaningless. But then, in a perfect society, one cannot have people asking questions as a result of independent thought because questions lead to change which leads to imbalance which is an imperfection. Excuse the slippery-slope; I did not write the book.

Half way through the text, a character is introduced that really highlights these points. I thoroughly enjoyed his debate with the leader. While I might not have agreed with his methods, I could clearly see his motivation behind his actions. He provided an interesting contrast to what had been shown of civilisation before. He was also the character the reader was most likely to identify with - at least in some ways. I also appreciated that while he was questioning civilisation, the reader was made to realise that his views were not perfect either (and in that way, perhaps being 'perfect').

This review is proving more difficult than I had imagined to write. I feel I am trying to sprout a poor literary essay while trying not to give any spoilers - a pointless task. I am going to leave this here and sit and ponder my thoughts on my own. I have a feeling that this book is going to continue floating through my head for quite some time.

I gave it a 5/5 star rating on good reads.