Fahrenheit 451 - a book review

There are many stories which move us, shock us, even change us. I consider myself an ardent bibliophile, and my bond with these piles of compressed wood has only burgeoned during the bleak period that was the lockdown. it engendered a space where I could escape the cozy confines of my house when they seemed to close in on me. I honestly doubt if I would have been able to maintain my sang froid throughout the lockdown, sans these wonderful pieces of ink on paper. Life without them, frankly, sounds like a ring of hell even Dante wouldn’t dare imagine.

Enter Ray Bradbury and his magnum opus, Fahrenheit 451.

The book takes place in a time not far from now, in the new united states of America, where owning, much less reading a book could incarcerate you for life. There seems to be a war, but no one seems to know why or who they are fighting. Bomber jets fly at odd intervals and fire a few of their missiles, quickly disappearing back into the azure blue skies. While technology continues to progress at an unprecedented rate, the love for our lovely bundles of paper seems to have all but disappeared. People spend their entire day in front of undulating walls which change their image at will (televisions) and hit the hay with ‘seashells’ (basically wireless earphones) glued to their ears bursting with radio chatter and music. I agree, such abominable behaviour! We would never stoop so low! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch TV and listen to some music for some well deserved time for relaxation.

Art of the 'seashell thimble' described by Bradbury

 

I’m back. Where were we? Oh, right.

We follow one Guy Montag, who’s job is as a fireman, but not one who puts out fires, but someone who creates fires, his only objective being burning illicitly obtained books. Guy however, doesn’t quite follow instructions blindly, and himself owns some of this illegal contraband, something that might as well be an alternative for a Deathwish.

This was a book written in the 1950s during the height of the cold war but could as well been written yesterday. Most of the gadgets he describes as well as the behaviour of the citizens of this new world are eerily accurate to present day, making the world so much more believable. Ray bradbury’s world could be a laughable dystopia, or something that might happen tomorrow. Only time will tell.

A tiny critique of this book, I would say, is the pacing. Sometimes, the plot moves at an insufferably slow pace, while in other instances, makes it gives you a concussion.

Final score: 9/10

Even if the thought of an Orwellian dystopia doesn’t allure you, I highly recommend you give it a shot. Who knows, maybe it will consume you whole just as it did me