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2084
After its second revolution, America is nothing—and everything—to joke about. The U.S.A. is history. In 2044, the Covenantal States of America constitutes a white-Christian autocracy echoing George Orwell’s banned classic, 1984. Washington pushes back against armed rebels, humor ridiculing tyranny and mushrooming graffiti referencing Orwell’s novel in the form of 2084.Sam Klein, a member of the Minyan, a clandestine group of stand-up comics, organizes a July Fourth comedy protest while his Indian-American wife Indira, a native Californian, faces deportation. The Fourth, celebrating an America made great yet again, brings unexpected fireworks.
244 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 20, 2021
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 12, 2021
Anyone over the age of 50 should be acquainted with the classic 1984 by George Orwell. Younger folk may be acquainted with the phrase ‘Big Brother is Watching’ which derives from the 1984 futuristic look at our world.
Written some 80 years after the original was penned, 2084 seeks to bring our consciousness into the future. By title alone, it asks us to imagine a bleak and unforgiving future where Big Brother has become all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-controlling. But what the author has given us is a left-wing, liberal spin on what the future holds. In Orwell’s classic there is no mention of a political party yet we are led to believe that in Perlstein’s vision the current government state can be directly traced to one of our current political parties.
That said, the characters are two-dimensional and flat, moving through their scenes without emotion. Even the scenes where a character is in danger, and there are a few, are related in a flat voice. What could have been a terrific follow-up to Orwell’s 1984 had its legs pulled out from under it. For example: each member of the Minyan, that covert society of stand-up comics, adopts a stage name to keep their real identity secret. I found it difficult to follow these dual-named characters without constantly turning pages back to remind myself of their identities.
Additionally, the descriptions of places, for example, the tiny apartment that Sam shares with his wife could have used a bit more detail. I like enough detail to imagine any given place. Of course this is a personal preference that doesn’t bear on the story line. In general though, the story lacked that Wow Factor and failed to leave a lasting impression. Other reviewers have described 2084 as satire but I disagree.
My only take-away was that your Permanent Record really does follow you into the future.
Recommended Instead: Blue Earth by Dawn O Watson
Written some 80 years after the original was penned, 2084 seeks to bring our consciousness into the future. By title alone, it asks us to imagine a bleak and unforgiving future where Big Brother has become all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-controlling. But what the author has given us is a left-wing, liberal spin on what the future holds. In Orwell’s classic there is no mention of a political party yet we are led to believe that in Perlstein’s vision the current government state can be directly traced to one of our current political parties.
That said, the characters are two-dimensional and flat, moving through their scenes without emotion. Even the scenes where a character is in danger, and there are a few, are related in a flat voice. What could have been a terrific follow-up to Orwell’s 1984 had its legs pulled out from under it. For example: each member of the Minyan, that covert society of stand-up comics, adopts a stage name to keep their real identity secret. I found it difficult to follow these dual-named characters without constantly turning pages back to remind myself of their identities.
Additionally, the descriptions of places, for example, the tiny apartment that Sam shares with his wife could have used a bit more detail. I like enough detail to imagine any given place. Of course this is a personal preference that doesn’t bear on the story line. In general though, the story lacked that Wow Factor and failed to leave a lasting impression. Other reviewers have described 2084 as satire but I disagree.
My only take-away was that your Permanent Record really does follow you into the future.
Recommended Instead: Blue Earth by Dawn O Watson
Displaying 1 of 1 review