This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
- T.S. Eliot
A Dystopian/post apocalypse story. Twenty five years before the story begins the Human race loses the ability to reproduce and there you are. The Apocalypse strikes - only this one doesn't consist of horrific death courtesy of a shattering virus, a planet killing meteor or environmental collapse. Humanity is left to live it's remaining years in relative peace and quiet. A long and quiet terminal illness for the Human race akin to being under hospice care if such a comparison is accurate. No lack of resources (with the exception of Humans that is) people are left to live on with the inescapable fact that there will be no replacements. Instead of The End coming at us from the front it's quietly following us from the rear.
I like the 2006 movie version of this novel. I finally got around to reading the novel. The movie is an excellent example of Docufiction (fictional Cinema vérité) and it stands up to repeated viewings. Working on many different levels I'm a fan of the movie. However I understood the novel is rather different so I made a concerted effort not to compare it to the film version. It isn't fair to do that.......in my opinion.
The novel is a what I consider to be a classic British Dystopian story. The protagonist (Theo) is ,in many ways, a passive observer of events. Though he does get involved he isn't what Americans would consider a "man of action". Instead of making things happen the British protagonist simply tries to survive while things outside of his (or her) control happens to him/her. See How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff and even The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham for other strong examples of this type of character in British fiction. A good example in the movies would be Jim in 28 Days Later.
Many of my fellow Americans don't like this type of character, but I'm okay with it. Perhaps my own experiences has made me realize that more often than not we're just along for the ride no matter how much we would like to think otherwise. I'm not the broad-shouldered heroic type and at 47 years of age I find such characters to be tiresome at times. I'm more tolerant of them in movies, but not so much in print. Go figure.
Theo is not a particularly likeable man. He is selfish and not very caring, but he understands this to be the case. Theo is very self-aware. Yet despite those faults Theo does rise to the occasion which is also believable.......in my opinion. We are imperfect creatures and often capable of contradictory actions.Today's scoundrel could very well be tomorrow's hero.
Regarding the diary entries ,which so many other reviewers despise, I found that I liked. While we think of the Dystopian/post-apocalyptic genres to be a suitable setting for full-bore action (Road Warrior & Terminator) in reality the slow death of an entire species is both horrifying and......boring. So most of the action takes place in Theo's own words because much of such an event would be emotional and intellectual. As a Professor of History Theo can't help, but observe the final chapter in Human history. That's what the diary is. A historian would call his diary a primary source, but of course (as Theo is all too aware) there will be no future historians to read his diary.As a result there is a poignancy attached to the entries.
The author's vision is well executed, her world is plausible and the story is compelling. The protagonist isn't the most likeable of people, but he is believable. All in all it was worth the hours I invested in reading it. If for no other reason than it made me think and that's always a good thing............in my opinion.
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
- T.S. Eliot
A Dystopian/post apocalypse story. Twenty five years before the story begins the Human race loses the ability to reproduce and there you are. The Apocalypse strikes - only this one doesn't consist of horrific death courtesy of a shattering virus, a planet killing meteor or environmental collapse. Humanity is left to live it's remaining years in relative peace and quiet. A long and quiet terminal illness for the Human race akin to being under hospice care if such a comparison is accurate. No lack of resources (with the exception of Humans that is) people are left to live on with the inescapable fact that there will be no replacements. Instead of The End coming at us from the front it's quietly following us from the rear.
I like the 2006 movie version of this novel. I finally got around to reading the novel. The movie is an excellent example of Docufiction (fictional Cinema vérité) and it stands up to repeated viewings. Working on many different levels I'm a fan of the movie. However I understood the novel is rather different so I made a concerted effort not to compare it to the film version. It isn't fair to do that.......in my opinion.
The novel is a what I consider to be a classic British Dystopian story. The protagonist (Theo) is ,in many ways, a passive observer of events. Though he does get involved he isn't what Americans would consider a "man of action". Instead of making things happen the British protagonist simply tries to survive while things outside of his (or her) control happens to him/her. See How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff and even The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham for other strong examples of this type of character in British fiction. A good example in the movies would be Jim in 28 Days Later.
Many of my fellow Americans don't like this type of character, but I'm okay with it. Perhaps my own experiences has made me realize that more often than not we're just along for the ride no matter how much we would like to think otherwise. I'm not the broad-shouldered heroic type and at 47 years of age I find such characters to be tiresome at times. I'm more tolerant of them in movies, but not so much in print. Go figure.
Theo is not a particularly likeable man. He is selfish and not very caring, but he understands this to be the case. Theo is very self-aware. Yet despite those faults Theo does rise to the occasion which is also believable.......in my opinion. We are imperfect creatures and often capable of contradictory actions.Today's scoundrel could very well be tomorrow's hero.
Regarding the diary entries ,which so many other reviewers despise, I found that I liked. While we think of the Dystopian/post-apocalyptic genres to be a suitable setting for full-bore action (Road Warrior & Terminator) in reality the slow death of an entire species is both horrifying and......boring. So most of the action takes place in Theo's own words because much of such an event would be emotional and intellectual. As a Professor of History Theo can't help, but observe the final chapter in Human history. That's what the diary is. A historian would call his diary a primary source, but of course (as Theo is all too aware) there will be no future historians to read his diary.As a result there is a poignancy attached to the entries.
The author's vision is well executed, her world is plausible and the story is compelling. The protagonist isn't the most likeable of people, but he is believable. All in all it was worth the hours I invested in reading it. If for no other reason than it made me think and that's always a good thing............in my opinion.
