(SPOILERS) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - Review

Book Synopsis:

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.

My Review:

3.75/5 stars. This is a classic that's been on my radar for years but never gotten around to reading until now. In general, I enjoyed it, but there were some things I wasn't a big fan of. I loved all the themes, and it was very quotable. The messages about the power of books and writing, parasocial relationships, and more were very powerful. However, the writing style was tough for me. It was full of run-on sentences and just generally confusing wording. I found myself lost as to what was happening a few times because I couldn't follow the way it was written. The ending was also a little bit of a letdown, or at least not what I was expecting.

The writing style was the first thing that stood out to me, since that is something that really affects my enjoyment of a particular book. If I have a hard time actually reading and following it, it's not as fun of an experience. This writing style carried throughout the whole book. It wasn't bad all the time, but some parts definitely were weird to me.

I liked Clarisse. She was a very compelling character, and very important as the catalyst for Montag's change. We never really got closure on what happened to her, though. The explanation was that she got hit by a car, but I figured that was a lie and she actually was killed by the Hound or something similar. When it got to the end, though, and a different explanation was never given, I guess I must've been wrong? That was something I would've liked a bit more focus on.

On the other hand, Mildred was a very frustrating character. She had a purpose, though, showing how completely isolated and mindless people can get through unhealthy media consumption. I was so frustrated by her and Montag's communication - or lack thereof - but in a good way. It was written to irk readers, and it definitely did.

All the different themes it touched on was the best thing about this book. I always love books that feel like a love letter to reading and writing, and this was one of those. This was a favorite line: "There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there."

The social commentary goes beyond that, too. Ray Bradbury touched on more than I expected, even if there was only a small mention of it. Besides books, a big idea was what can happen from too unhealthy media consumption and forming parasocial relationships with fictional characters, to the point where you can't distinguish fiction from reality and start to see fake people as your real family. Even smaller things, like abortion, inattentive parenting, and voting motivations, were mentioned.

The Hound was a compelling aspect of this book. It was such an unsettling and ominous villain, if "villain" is even the right word for it. The last quarter or so of the story, when Montag was on the run and watching The Hound get closer and closer, felt like something that would be in a thriller movie. Its silent but deadly nature was truly terrifying.

I might've enjoyed this book more if it wasn't for the ending. I don't know what I was expecting, but the way it ended felt like a bit of a letdown. While I didn't expect a super happy ending, I think I was hoping it would be a little more optimistic. This is probably a me issue, since other people seem to think the ending is great and very fitting, but it just didn't hit for me.

Content:

Language: God's name taken in vain a lot, d*mn, h*ll, a**, b*stard

Sexual Content: Mention of "sex magazines"

Violence/Gore: A description of someone burning to death (not too detailed), The Hound is a robot dog that injects people with something that kills them

Drugs/Alcohol: A character has what appears to be an attempted suicide from an overdose of sleeping pills