Nav Logan's Blog, page 29
September 19, 2014
September 18, 2014
September 17, 2014
September 16, 2014
September 14, 2014
September 12, 2014
A Review of a Book That Cannot Be Named: By Jonathan Hill
A Review of a Book That Cannot Be Named: By Jonathan Hill
This new novel by Jonathan Hill exceeds all expectations. Having read and enjoyed some of his previous works, I looked forward to this book, but I was surprised at the immediate impact this book had on me. By the end of the first page I knew that this was something special. This book is an award winning book: the world just doesn’t know it yet.
It is highly insightful and a great social commentary, and is as relevant today as it was in the era it is written about. It is not just about the struggles to recognise and live with one’s sexuality, it is about people’s acceptance of corruption within the status quo, and our moral duty to rock the boat.
I pondered how Charles Darwin would view this book, and whether he would argue that Grey was weak and deserved his fate, whereas Smythe was a typical example of the Alpha Male. He might claim that Smythe had truly assessed the world around him and risen to the challenge. He had learned the rules of the game and climbed to the top of the food chain: Simple survival of the fittest.
Then I considered the counter argument that would be heatedly debated by the likes of Henry David Thoreau on our duty to be disobedient if we see fault within society, and I’m sure that George Orwell would likewise have something to say on the matter. Man must strive to rise above his baser animal instincts and become more than an animal. If humanity is to continue to adapt and grow into a better society, we must strive for more than just the survival of the fittest. To do less is an insult to our intelligence.
Darwin would perhaps argue that without men like Smythe, the World Wars would have been lost, but I’m sure that Orwell would have argued that it was exactly because of men like Smythe, that there were so many tragic deaths on the battlefields of Europe, that the quest for dominance and power is the cause of such mass destruction.
Although the book looks at the stigma behind homosexuality in pre WWII Britain, the deeper message within the novel could as easily have been about slavery or to bring it into modern times, it could be about corruption in the banking and political sector, or even the recent genocides around the world. To me, it is about the individual speaking out and demanding justice from the status quo.
This is a powerful tale, written by an author who has found his wings and learned to fly.
One further note: Sadly, despite the claims of free speech, we are not allowed to mention the name of the book, lest it cause offence. It appears that we have become so politically correct that we are being edited for our own convenience by the mighty A-Zon. The mere sight of this three letter word seems to cause shudders within its corporate structure so I am not allowed to write the books title within my review – I could write hardcore erotica and that would be fine, but this three letter word is banned. How sad!.
Is this the heights that we have attained?
This new novel by Jonathan Hill exceeds all expectations. Having read and enjoyed some of his previous works, I looked forward to this book, but I was surprised at the immediate impact this book had on me. By the end of the first page I knew that this was something special. This book is an award winning book: the world just doesn’t know it yet.
It is highly insightful and a great social commentary, and is as relevant today as it was in the era it is written about. It is not just about the struggles to recognise and live with one’s sexuality, it is about people’s acceptance of corruption within the status quo, and our moral duty to rock the boat.
I pondered how Charles Darwin would view this book, and whether he would argue that Grey was weak and deserved his fate, whereas Smythe was a typical example of the Alpha Male. He might claim that Smythe had truly assessed the world around him and risen to the challenge. He had learned the rules of the game and climbed to the top of the food chain: Simple survival of the fittest.
Then I considered the counter argument that would be heatedly debated by the likes of Henry David Thoreau on our duty to be disobedient if we see fault within society, and I’m sure that George Orwell would likewise have something to say on the matter. Man must strive to rise above his baser animal instincts and become more than an animal. If humanity is to continue to adapt and grow into a better society, we must strive for more than just the survival of the fittest. To do less is an insult to our intelligence.
Darwin would perhaps argue that without men like Smythe, the World Wars would have been lost, but I’m sure that Orwell would have argued that it was exactly because of men like Smythe, that there were so many tragic deaths on the battlefields of Europe, that the quest for dominance and power is the cause of such mass destruction.
Although the book looks at the stigma behind homosexuality in pre WWII Britain, the deeper message within the novel could as easily have been about slavery or to bring it into modern times, it could be about corruption in the banking and political sector, or even the recent genocides around the world. To me, it is about the individual speaking out and demanding justice from the status quo.
This is a powerful tale, written by an author who has found his wings and learned to fly.
One further note: Sadly, despite the claims of free speech, we are not allowed to mention the name of the book, lest it cause offence. It appears that we have become so politically correct that we are being edited for our own convenience by the mighty A-Zon. The mere sight of this three letter word seems to cause shudders within its corporate structure so I am not allowed to write the books title within my review – I could write hardcore erotica and that would be fine, but this three letter word is banned. How sad!.
Is this the heights that we have attained?
