Drop Everything And Read discussion

It's America in 1962. Slavery is legal once again. The few Jews who still survive hide under assumed names. In San Francisco the I Ching is as common as the Yellow Pages. All because some 20 years earlier the United States lost a war, and is now occupied jointly by Nazi Germany and Japan.

This harrowing, Hugo Award-winning novel is the work that established Philip K. Dick as an innovator in science fiction while breaking the barrier between science fiction and the serious novel of ideas. In it Dick offers a haunting vision of history as a nightmare from which it may just be possible to awake.

Buddy read by Jeffrey and Lauren

Just realised you had already commented on this.

I'm up to chp 7 so I'll write up my thoughts when i have access to my computer. Loving that we have the ability to compare to novels that essentially use the same party trick "what if Hitler won" is such different ways.

Ok I'm sick as a dog with the flu but here's my thoughts so far:

The novel uses very unusual syntax. It can make the some sentences jarring. It's obviously deliberate but I'm not sure what the purpose is.

It is creepy how probable the whole scenario is. In this novel, even if a rebellion occurred it would not change decades of entrenched racism and inequality. This is much more authentic then WbW where the characters seem to think that by killing hitler you can change millions of people's prejudice.

I'm confronted by the racist thoughts characters have towards one another, but quite enjoy the subversion of power relations between Japanese and Americans.

Structurally the book is just really clever. The alternate fiction novel they discuss is amusing because it's a deliberate nod to the reader.

However, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (the only other novel I have read by this author) was held together by a much stronger narrative. I still don't feel like I'm caught up in a novel. Not sure how much I can enjoy it if I'm always analysing it from an intellectual level and never really enjoying the story.

The implication is that they turned Africa into an atomic wasteland. I'd say it was almost a success because there were serious economic consequences, and it would not have impacted splintered rebellions across the continent. Either there are historical implications we are expected to understand and don't or it may be further explained as the book goes on. I don't feel like the novel really has much of a plot yet.... Except the fake collector items plotline which is fascinating but not enough.

It's certainly not a beach read. So glad we said only 3 chp a day cause this is dense, hard work. Especially the scenes with the collector/ seller and the Japanese couple. There was tooooo muucchhh subtext. I never thought I'd say this but I actually think there is too many ways to interpret what is occurring.

One thing I found interesting in the dinner scene thou- the young Japanese couple talk about jazz to which Childan replies "that's negro music" was funny because it echoed the experiences of so many peoples whose cultures are bastardised by Americans.

Ok I think I'm going to DNF this. It is an intriguing premise and I will probably continue to dip in and out of it slowly over time but it does not have a centre for me to sink into. I can't enjoy a book that doesn't have a main character and I've never had much patience for books with too many POV characters. The premise is fascinating and the society is brilliantly brought to life and I think it is doing some very interesting things with privilege and prejudice but I can't help but feel Dick's strength as a writer lies in short stories. When I compare what a struggle this book is compared to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, which I read in one sitting, it is clear that although this book has a more important message, it barely has a plot.

We haven't had much luck with these buddy reads have we? Maybe we should go for another genre?

oh man, I wish I had joined earlier. the book sounds really interesting!