Scan barcode
A review by elle_reads
The Wall by John Lanchester
4.0
Instagram @elle_reads
BOOK REVIEW
[The Wall] Defenders on the Wall keep Others out.
//
WHAT I LIKED
The Wall is cunning and deceptive. Problems are obvious. Narration is plain. Then the subtext slowly unveils itself into a web of social commentary. Lanchester brilliantly depicts current tensions in British society: Brexit, immigration debates, dead end jobs, generational guilt/blame, etc. As an American, I feel many of his observations across the pond as well. As an expat, I feel the same generational tensions in Taiwan. Lanchester dives into the complex psychology behind these difficult tensions with the ease of a relatable first person narrator.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Most major plot points were predictable, but I didn’t hate them. It is a generic plot with unique world building. Spoiler - but not really spoiler - the defender eventually becomes a floating refugee. Some critics find the beginning slow, but I find it purposeful. The beginning is supposed hold concrete and boredom like defenders standing on the Wall. The ending was an abrupt deus ex machina without closure.
//
The Wall (by John Lanchester) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️4/5
//
Favorite Pages: 3, 46, 47, 48, 59, 66, 73, 93, 112, 145, 160, 191
//
Recommended for Lovers of: Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Animal Farm by George Orwell, poems by Wilfred Owen
//
BOOK REVIEW
[The Wall] Defenders on the Wall keep Others out.
//
WHAT I LIKED
The Wall is cunning and deceptive. Problems are obvious. Narration is plain. Then the subtext slowly unveils itself into a web of social commentary. Lanchester brilliantly depicts current tensions in British society: Brexit, immigration debates, dead end jobs, generational guilt/blame, etc. As an American, I feel many of his observations across the pond as well. As an expat, I feel the same generational tensions in Taiwan. Lanchester dives into the complex psychology behind these difficult tensions with the ease of a relatable first person narrator.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Most major plot points were predictable, but I didn’t hate them. It is a generic plot with unique world building. Spoiler - but not really spoiler - the defender eventually becomes a floating refugee. Some critics find the beginning slow, but I find it purposeful. The beginning is supposed hold concrete and boredom like defenders standing on the Wall. The ending was an abrupt deus ex machina without closure.
//
The Wall (by John Lanchester) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️4/5
//
Favorite Pages: 3, 46, 47, 48, 59, 66, 73, 93, 112, 145, 160, 191
//
Recommended for Lovers of: Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Animal Farm by George Orwell, poems by Wilfred Owen
//