It's when you try and forget that trouble begins. That's the way they approach, through the unguarded moment.
They
by Kay Dick
Genre: Literary Fiction
About: A fanatical group have taken over society. Simply known as 'they'. They are cruel, organised and intent on stripping the individual away. They watch at all times. Practising art in any form is punishable. Communication is limited. Emotions are moderated. They are everywhere.
The Good
The writing is so beautiful. Every segment is a short story that reads like poetry. There are a lot of intense moments but the characters are all artists and they're looking for beauty to show the reader. It's a perfect, short read for travelling or before bed. Not because of light-heartedness (it's very, very dark and crushingly relevant to today's times) but it does transport you. You'll question life, society and what's truly important for your soul.
The Bad
It's so episodic in nature that it can be confusing. You aren't really following a timeline or any particular character beyond the narrator. Devastating things happen to many of the characters but they don't matter for the next segment. We move on. This is part of the message of the book, but it doesn't make me invest in the characters as much as I would want to in a novel.
The Somewhat Iffy
I don't understand what our main character does to earn money in a society that doesn't want them to write. How is the writer surviving? What role do they have in this society? Nothing is really explained and the times we do get explanations, it comes from our main character asking things I'd expect them to know since the people they ask are living in the same situation with the same resources. I also found it strange that our main character is constantly being surprised by someone entering a scene. The amount of times 'I didn't notice them' was written made it seem as though they were walking into dangerous situations without any caution. And yet, despite all the dangers, our main character is never in any mortal peril themselves. Everyone around them seems to suffer, but the narrator is immune. They're given warnings and subtle threats but nothing actually happens to them.
Overall
A dream-like read that enters the realm of nightmares. It's message is brutal and hugely important, but its style is very unique and utterly poetic.
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