Review: Julia by Sandra Newman
- Courtney
- Feb 19
- 2 min read
A shift in perspective and narrative for George Orwell's best-selling 1984.
Dates read: 14/10/24 to 29/11/24
Word to describe: Unnerving
Star rating:⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Dystopian Fiction, Thriller, Political Commentary, Queer Fiction
Trigger Warnings: This book contains graphic depictions child sexual assault, violence, death, sexual assault, rape fantasies and others. Please consider the possible triggers before reading.
Sandra Newman has exceptional storytelling skills that much can not be denied. Her descriptive writing and ability to make a character so real that they are easily hated is unchallenged and on par with that of original 1984 author George Orwell. Where Newman succeeds in making Julia absolutely detestable, George Orwell similarly succeeded with that of fellow character Winston Smith, she has been able to mimic the brilliant writing skills of her predecessor. The only thing that kept me reading Julia was because Newman had me captivated the whole time.
What did not captivate me? The absolute abhorrent and disaster of a character that Julia was. My God - I despise this character so much. I read Julia as a buddy audiobook listen, with a friend of mine who had recently moved away, and throughout my reading experience I only became more in hate with Julia. I might have even become an embodiment of Love from 1984/Julia whilst complaining about her character.
The most homophobic, rape-fantasising sex fiend, self-pitying, deplorable, worthless excuse for a feminist I have ever read about. Julia loves women yet claims lesbians cannot exist, she fantasises about men forcing themselves on her and gets off on the idea of it - only to later be revealed as a victim of childhood grooming with the most complex relationship with sex I have ever read about. She is hailed as a feminist but continues to subject herself to the patriarchal views of those around and leans further into it by objectifying herself as part of this male gaze and so much more!
Yet, because Sandra Newman is so brilliant I could not put Julia down. I very rarely find myself in such a love-hate relationship with a book. For there to be such a juxtaposition between my love for the author and their skills and my absolute detestable feelings towards the characters I have to be certifiably insane. Yet, with Julia by Sandra Newman there is no other way I could possibly be.
Newman expertly filled with gaps that 1984 left from the lack of Julia's perspective and brought about secondary storylines that fit perfectly into Big Brothers universe. Additional characters added charm and delight to such a depressing story that it created little pockets of light in the dark. Characters unseen/briefly mentioned in 1984 took centre stage in Julia and the stories were impressively intertwined.
I was not enthralled with the overall packaging of 1984 or Julia simply because I find myself bored with the premise of extremist politics. But as an avid reader and enjoyer of stories I find myself congratulating Newman for her captivating abilities to match George Orwell's excellence and bring this concept to a new generation of readers.
