Published January 5, 2014
I’ve never read a Margret Atwood book before but always meant to and I’m glad I picked this one as I really enjoyed it. Oryx and Crake is a melancholy tale of friendship and love. It tells the story of Snowman from his childhood to his life after the end of the world, switching back and forth between the past and present.
At its heart this book is about the friendship between Snowman and Crake and the love they both share for Oryx a woman they first see as a child. Each of these characters have had troubled childhoods and different ways of seeing the world that they live in. A world that has been ravaged by climate change, where genetic engineering is pushing the boundaries of peoples desires and ambitions. The elite live in walled corporate compounds, their children attend corporate run schools, and being head hunted for a new job means leaving behind your home and friends to go live and work in another walled compound.
Over all I enjoyed this book. The relationships between the characters were well written and the two main characters well done. But I couldn’t help but feel that Oryx was a bit underutilized. I was expecting more to come from her and I just don’t feel she was given a chance to come into her own.
The setting had some interesting aspects filled with commentary on capitalism and the dangers of genetic engineering without restrains. But at the same time it was a bit hollow. I never really felt I got to a good understanding of Snowman’s world; it lacked the depth and texture that I would have liked.
The only major failure in this book though is the ending. I know it is the first in a trilogy but still. I haven’t seen an ending that abrupt since the Sopranos.
My rating 4 out 5
Next up:
The Coldest Girl in ColdTown
The Aspiring Writer 