Reviewed by mary on
The main narrative of the novel is Snowman's memories of his past; when he was just Jimmy. He remembers growing up in a world where true prosperity was enjoyed only by a select parasitical corporations who wanted to use all the wealth of the impoverished masses. We as the reader get the feeling that Jimmy was unsatisfied with his life, but things change for him when a new boy moves into the neighborhood, known as Crake. Crake is a genius even in a cop orate world of immaculate genes. Together him and Jimmy do a lot of exploring and engage in many mental games. Only many years later are they united along with Oryx when Crake decides to embark on a corporate project focused on changing humanity.
Therefore the main plot of the story is focused on the past; we are not told that much about post-apocalyptic earth. The reader does learn that the land is filled with genetic alterations that have gone wrong, and humans have essentially fallen off the evolutionary ladder.
Atwood does a great job of building her three main characters with Snowman's memories. Only Oryx character ends a little flat since she seems to serve as an impetus for Crake and Jimmy. However, I found the world of this novel so very rich, dark, and frightening. The conclusions she draws from the major theme of corporate corruption are very intriguing, as well as frightening.
The most enjoyable part of this novel is the writing style. Such a delicate prose and the pieces of the story are very well connected. There are never any slow parts to this novel, even the small parts are very riveting. The only problem I had with this novel was the ending. It is left too open for me and doesn't seem to answer some of the gripping questions posed earlier in the novel. But I did enjoy this read despite the poorly executed ending.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 3 July, 2012: Reviewed