"Shades of Grey" Book Review | Rosendo
Original post by CHENDO here.
“…it’s not what you think.”
I finished Jasper Fforde’s Shades of Grey dystopian novel a couple days ago.
It wasn’t what I was expecting… either way, I was not disappointed
It was a witty, charming, eccentric, comical novel with some dark truths.
Because it’s a comedy, it did make the ugliness of humanity's way of coping with things much more impactful.
Shades of Grey takes place hundreds of years into the future where a social class system is based off what colors a person can see. Humanity’s past is forgotten by the masses, but the protagonist starts to question it, with the help of new characters introduced.
Most of the novel is extremely light, in terms of topics touched, and heavily filled English humour —which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I definitely found myself laughing uncontrollably at times.
I don't like to research a novel too much before reading it, so the humour was a BIG surprise. Considering I thought it was a dystopian novel, I still enjoyed how Fforde wrote it.
While it is a science fiction dystopian novel, it included fantastical properties (another genre I typically don't focus on).
Either way, I am glad I went in blind because it was such an enjoyable read!
Really was a fun story I enjoyed from the very beginning. A great twist to what a ‘dystopian novel reader’ is used to.
In comparison to other classics, it is far-far away from the spectrum of George Orwell’s 1984, in terms of how dark the book reads. In regards to how lighthearted, playful and not so emotionally draining, it even passes A Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) in those categories.
So, Shades of Grey is ‘in another world’ compared to 1984 in dark truths; while A Brave New World floats nicely between the two novels.
Watch my full review below!
—Chendo
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Edited by NT.
