shades of grey

Shades of Grey, Jasper Fforde

it's a dark story, with the most fascinating premise. when Something Happened, the world started go off-colour. and if different people see different things differently, so why ever not colour, yeah? what comes to my mind instantly is george orwell's 1984. control over everything, rationing spoons and sugarcubes, corrupt officials, rebellion, nothing is private except for a valise of one's own - fforde gets all of this right, and manages this in a story that's mostly fantasy. actually, fantasy might be the wrong word. (the guardian informs me that the right thing to say would be 'high-concept' fiction. yes, that sounds stupid even to me.)

i expected it to be similar to the thursday next series (of which i've only read the first book), but it's less meandering and more, let's just say serious. honestly, i still haven't come to terms with his style - it was only on the hundredth page or so that i started getting really involved in the story (which is also what happened with the eyre affair). it took me a while to quite understand what was happening, and at places, he'd say stuff that would completely unhinge what i thought i got. in any case, it was quite funny and i quite liked it, although i must say that i'm not inspired enough just yet to read the next book in the thursday next series.

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