Customer Reviews

Oryx and Crake: A Novel

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Simply put, I loved ORYX AND CRAKE! Despite Atwood's grim futuristic plot of 'science gone mad' I found it difficult to put this book down. The first person narration of Snowman (Jimmy) jumps between the present (a bleak world existing primarily of him and the Crakers) and the past (events leading up to the destruction of humanity) as the details of the plot are uncovered. I most enjoyed Atwood's fresh writing and awe-inspiring imagination. Although I am not a fan of the science fiction genre I loved reading about Snowman's interpretation of the end of society. Of course ORYX AND CRAKE contains many cautionary tales against gene splicing, corporations, and the power of the Internet (why aren't there any 'happy' books of the future?). Despite Atwood's bleak and dark vision of the future there is much to extract, as science can't eliminate human love and desire. The relationships between Crake, Jimmy, and Oryx are mysterious and convoluted and I wanted to learn more. I appreciated Atwood's ability to tell this tale without filling in all the details for the reader. Much is left to the reader's imagination and I wasn't annoyed by this at all. Without risking giving away anymore of the plot I will end this review by stating that I was left greatly satisfied by ORYX AND CRAKE. I remains a gem on my bookshelf.

If you love Margaret Atwood and her writing, each time she finishes a book, you wonder how she will ever top it. The Handmaid's Tale, which Oryx and Crake is most frequently compared to, is one of her finest work. I am an ardent Atwood scholar and have read all her works. Having seen mixed reviews in the media about Oryx and Crake, I was somewhat afraid to start reading it, particularly because it is somewhat in the same genre as The Handmaid's Tale (a brilliant book and one of my favorite books of all time.) An author's streak of genius can't last forever, and I was waiting for the sun to set on Margaret Atwood.

This novel isn't as bad as the worst reviews promise, but not as good as the best claim. It's set on an intruiging premise, and although it took a little longer to get engrossed in Oryx and Crake than in some of her other work, it moves along at a nice and quite horrifying trot, pulling you in with the almost-recognizable familiarity of bio-engineered events. You like Snowman/Jimmy, it's just that....well, who exactly is the bad guy here? And maybe that's the point. In today's world, with PR spin and ducking politicians, there is no great antagonist we're struggling against--which would make life much clearer.

I noticed that Atwood's writing seemed a little less compelling, acute and participatory than in previous novels. Perhaps the writing reflects the detachment and bemusement of Snowman himself. Although what happens is shocking, it is relayed in a very methodical, non-emotional way.

The best thing about the book was the last few chapters--they surprised me, causing me to think for a lengthy period of time after I'd closed the book. In fact, that night I had very troubled dreams about the subject matter of destruction and a single person's capability for such in today's advanced world. It's been a long time since a book's premise made it into my dreams, so although it may not have gripped me with iron claws in the beginning, I suppose Oryx and Crake got me in the end.

Well, I couldn't put this one down, but at the same time I can't really say that I was entertained by it. What a bleak, miserable and pessimistic future Atwood envisions. Scientifically complex and literally complex, Atwood is raising the all important question of "what if the scientific tools that we have today are misused, and how far down the road do we have to go before things start to go terribly wrong?" I'm a big fan of Atwood's work, but I have to say that this novel is not one of my favourites, although I DID read The Handmaid's Tale years ago and absolutely loved it. Those who say that Oryx and Crake is a science fiction novel are missing the mark; it's actually speculative fiction - taking a world that is familiar to us now and hypothesizing on an incredible outcome. Atwood raised lots of issues in this book - genetics, and gene splicing, sexuality, popular culture, environmental destruction, the existence of god, STD's, diseases, globalization and the fate of human societies. This is not a "heavy" read but certainly a provocative one. I found the preamble with Snowman's encounter with the Crakers a little tedious, but the story really gets going when we start flashing back to Jimmy and Crake. I really liked the way Atwood keeps giving you hints throughout and keeps you wondering what catastrophe actually struck society, and how Snowman ends up in this situation. The scenes when Jimmy goes to work in the Compound are chilling in their realistic detail and it's the sort of story that gives you bad dreams at night!

This is a good read, and also a very depressing vision of our future!

Michael

Yikes! This book was so dull that I only got to halfway and quit. I could not endure the torture any longer. I read the second book first "The Year of The Flood" and it was a lot more interesting than this. Too much talk about sex and how it works and children used as sex objects. It felt like it was written by a man with sex on his mind. I have zero interest in those.

Shortly before "Oryx and Crake" I've read "Player Piano" by Kurt Vonnegut; the setting of both novels is quite similar, but where Vonnegut draws the picture in, say, 2 dimensions, Atwood makes it full 3 dimensions, and with colors and smell and music. Vonnegut gets cynical and sarcastic and that doesn't help him in getting the real human nature out. But Atwood is not led away by her own problems or emotions; she seems to actually love human beings. And thus she got the human condition so right, it's even scary. I can't agree more - this is not 'science fiction', this is speculative fiction. It's things as they already are, only helped a bit into the future.
Also, it's impossible not to fall in love with either Oryx or Crake. I think I fell in love with both of them.

I had reasonably high hopes for this novel, not because of Atwood's repute, not because of the accolades and nominations it received, but because I find it interesting how others interpret the fall of humanity. While Oryx and Crake proved to be a semi-interesting read, there are many areas in which this novel is lacking.
Other reviewers have touched upon the poor character development, and I have to agree. I didn't care about Jimmy/Snowman, Crake, Oryx, or any of the sub-characters. It is evident that considerably less time was used creating them than the plot and intricacies of her wasteland. This becomes a problem near the end as we're asked to understand and sympathise with these people but lack that closeness resulting from proper development.

Some parts of Oryx and Crake wear thin, quickly. Most prevalent are the names she uses for futuristic compounds and man-made lifeforms: names like RejoovenEssence, Pigoon, Wolvogs and ChickieNobs grow more ridiculous as you read them again, and again, and again. Take the Wolvogs for instance: with the appearance of domesticated dog breeds, they actually have the feral instincts of a wolf. Fine, but why not just call them wolves? Feral Dogs? Or why not come up with something new entirely?

Ultimately, the book can be interesting, but for something so subtly based on character, one should expect that the characters be more than the two-dimensional yawns that they are. The ending is a collosal let-down and rather predicatble, given the progression of the story. Overall, I'm left thinking "so what?" about virtually everything.

Generally, I found this to be an interesting story. Atwood uses vivid imagery to help set a scene of destruction, and beauty among the wreckage (ie: The sunset having tender colours).

However, I found that it was abruptly ended. It seems as if she did not know where else to take the story and ended it at a point where we are left wondering the outcome of Snowman and the Children of Crake. It may be considered an ending in which we are encouraged to consider for ourselves what possibly becomes of Snowman. Yet, personally, I find it unsatisfying. I wish there were just a few more chapters to read so that I may have a better understanding of the fate of this sci-fi world.

As well, the descriptions of the games Crake and Jimmy used to play, as well as some of the made up language used to suit the sci-fi world they live in, although detailed, still can leave a reader confused and maybe even a little bored.

Despite this, there were definitely moments when the novel was hard to put down, when it gave me shivers with it's eery and haunting descriptions. It was a novel that left you thinking about the world's horrendous fate even after the book had been closed.

Given that Atwood planned Oryx and Crake as the first book in her MadAdam Trilogy, I can only hope that the book was rife with plot seeds for The Year of the Flood and the third book.

One expects sadness and conflict in a dystopia; unfortunately, the sadness belongs to the reader who waits for a story to unwind slower than the end of a Canadian winter.

The book does have interesting ideas, but they are strung out [...] through characterization that is stunningly two-dimensional. Having weathered through to the end, I can confirm other reviewers comments: this is not an enjoyable read for fans of Atwood's other works. If only Atwood had an axe to grind, like Pullman in his trilogy His Dark Materials, one could at least enjoy the unconcealed vitriol.

No, Oryx and Crake is a barren landscape, a dearth of detail, and painfully obvious where it might be clever. I dare say I enjoy standing in line at the supermarket more than I did most chapters in the novel. Am I being harsh? Perhaps - but Atwood has failed to deliver to my expectations given her previous work.

Will I read on? I haven't decided...

If there were more than 5 stars available, this book would have received all of them.

For those readers who are seeking identity with a given character or are needing each character to be fully developed, this is not a reality based book. You have to realize that this is a text of symbolism, not a 'fact and event' piece of fiction and, being so, it is what the text fully symbolizes and not the depth of the characters that really matters. The author has put out all the necessary factors to not only have this be a riveting story in its own right, but a possible foreshadowing of the future which may lie before us. The elements are the artificial defining of citizenry through intellectual abilities, the physical vs. rational potions of society, the power and control of the drug and biological companies and what happens when a mentally imbalanced person is placed in administrative charge of reality.

The book will leave the astute reader with a series of questions that he/she must ask about the life they see around them. Are we doing everything possible to not put humanity in a similar situation? How would I have done things differently if I were the Snowman? and What qualities did the Crakers exhibit that should be encouraged in our society? These are but a few. Read and enjoy..........

The book started slowly and may require some patience for the first half because of the time she invests in character development.