I was only vaguely familiar with the plot of the story, or rather, I only knew the idea of "Big Brother" from cultural references. I didn't realize that I'd enjoy the story so much, and that it seems to mirror what's happening in North Korea today.
I loved this passage in the book, where Winston finishes reading the book from the opposition:
"The book fascinated him. Or more exactly, it reassured him. In a sense it had told him nothing that was new, but that was part of the attraction. It said what he would have said, if it had been possible for him to set his scattered thoughts in order. It was the product of a mind similar to his own, but enormously more powerful, more systematic, less fear ridden. The best books, he perceived, are those that tell you what you already know."
I won't reveal the ending, but the overall tone of the book makes you think about a lot of things - What is reality? (Does a tree falling in the forest make a sound if there's nobody there to hear it?) Is reality external or is it contained within human consciousness? What is human nature? What are we to believe about what we are told by the government? Are there external forces that are controlling us?
I really enjoyed this book, but it was very dark. I can't decide whether I liked the ending or not. It was interesting in that it juxtaposed both triumph and tragedy.
I do understand why this is regarded as one of the greatest books of all time.
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