Top 10 dystopian books to read during quarantine
Find comfort in the fact that things could be a lot worse.
The world is a strange place right now, and you may be thinking that this is the end of the world as we know it. However, the concept of the ‘end of the world’ has been around for many years, told in the form of dystopian literature.
Dystopian novels tell surreal stories of oppressive regimes, genetic control, apocalypses, and are just as gripping as they are terrifying. So while you are sitting at home, pick up a book from the list below to escape to another, more disturbing, world.
1) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Guy Montag is a fireman whose job it is to maintain the illiterate state of society by burning books. Jarred by the recent overdose of his wife and intrigued by his new ‘free-spirited’ neighbour, Guy steals a book one day. This action marks the beginning of his descent into the illegal act of book hoarding and questioning the very structure of society he has helped to maintain.
2) Brave New World by Aldus Huxley
At a glance, the world described in Huxley’s Brave New World appears to be a modern utopia. However, things start to deteriorate as the reader learns about how genetically modified babies, psychological manipulation, and the misuse of a drug called Soma form the basis of this society.
3) The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
In Gilead, society is ruled by a class of upper-class elite men, and women clad in red hoods are given the responsibility of carrying the children which will uphold the human race. This book follows Offred, whose real name is never revealed, as she navigates her life in Gilead as a red-hooded Handmaid, and her search to find some resemblance of the world she once knew.
4) Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
The first novel in the MaddAddam trilogy opens with ‘Snowman’, one of the earth’s last mortals, and his interactions with the Crackers, a strange blue creature that has come to inhabit the earth. As we learn more about Snowman, we begin to understand his role in the apocalypse that he never meant to happen.
5) The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick
This book rewrites history. Post-WII, the Nazis have won the war, and Japan and Germany now govern the state of New York and California. However, there lies an author who writes a story, similar to our own reality, where the Axis forces were defeated and the world functions as we know it to be today. This book plays with the concept of parallel streams of existence and gives us a terrible glimpse of what could have been.
6) 1984 by George Orwell
No dystopian list can be complete without 1984. Winston Smith works at the Ministry of Truth, a place that enforces complete monitoring of thoughts, actions, and words through all-seeing television screens and the eyes of Big Brother. While it may appear that Smith is helping to maintain the order of the surveillance state, inside he longs for truth and liberty.
7) Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Set in an old countryside boarding school, one may confuse this dystopian novel with an old victorian tale. That is, however, until the secret slips that the children living at the boarding school are actually clones and meant to act as organ donors and will live a short, painful life. This is a true ‘coming of age’ tale combined with an adventure, escape, and pain.
8) Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
Twenty years after a pandemic wiped out the entire population, a small caravan of musicians, The Travelling Symphony, travel between settlements to keep music and theatre alive. Along the way, the caravan hears about a Museum of Civilization where they believe some of their long lost friends and relatives may be found. They begin the trek, unravelling mysteries along the way about the end of the world.
9) Animal Farm by George Orwell
The animals at Manor farm are sick and tired of drunken Mr. Jones denying them fair and just treatment. The animals plan a rebellion, seeking to establish an equal and free society where all creatures on the farm can live happy lives. However, power struggles quickly arise, marking a descent from equality into totalitarianism and madness.
10) The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The story describes the journey of father and son duo as they venture through a post-apocalyptic wasteland towards the coast. Written as a stream of consciousness, readers develop a close relationship with the characters and their loving bond.
While this list is long, it is not exhaustive and there are many more dystopian books out there to suit your fancy. Did I miss your favourite? Comment and let me know.
