1984: The Graphic Novel

Orwell, George, adapted and illustrated by Fido Nesti. 1984: The Graphic Novel. 2020. 224p. 978-0-358-35992-0.

Winston has grown in Oceania, one of the three super states that succeeded the myriad of countries and that are now in perpetual war against each other. The Party, guided by Big Brother, dominates all thoughts, actions, and beliefs. The Thought Police is everywhere, listening in to all conversations, spying on everyone all the time. A worker in the Ministry of Truth, where he modifies historical records to ensure they match the current predictions of the Party. The Party must always be right. But Winston harbors doubts, and he knows that the Party is not correct. He's even seen evidence of this. So Winston has to live with doublethink, the ability to think one thing and its contrary simultaneously. 

When he meets Julia, Winston instantly dislikes her. She has too much Party fervor, she's too much of a zealot. Soon, however, Winston discovers that Julia is nothing of the kind. Like her, she's hiding her true feelings and her thoughts as best she can to passively resist the Party. When they are given the opportunity to rebel, both of them take it knowing full well that it can only end in death. However, the two lovers must do something to fight off the totalitarian power of Big Brother!

A great graphic novel adaptation of 1984, this book manages to convey the despair and darkness of the world in which Winston and Julia live, and eerily demonstrates how relatively easy it would be to slip into a totalitarian system without knowing it. Readers who are interested can read a review of the book here.