Book: the Cockroach
Author: Ian McEwan
Reviewer’s Instagram: gentlelibrary
Photo Credit: gentlelibrary
Original Book Review
i feel like i was too dumb to fully grasp this novella.
i’m always a fan of ian mcewan’s novels (atonement is hall of fame for me) but novellas are another story. i H A T E D On Chesil Beach, and honestly, the only reason i picked this novella up is because when my irish boyfriend came to visit my family for christmas in texas, he saw a roach crawling up a wall as we sat outside one night and freaked tf out. as a louisiana native now living in ireland, i have been living in bliss without roaches crawling everywhere (sorry for putting this cover on your feed lol)
this is an absurdist story about all of the UK cabinet being replaced by cockroaches. like, they still look like humans and the general public doesn’t know it, but cockroaches have taken over their bodies and enacted this idea called “reversalism” where instead of your job paying you, you pay them, and then you have to buy enough at the shop to make your wages. it’s so confusing – maybe you all get it more but i was like HUH how on earth would that work. idk. it’s also a very apparent allegory for modern world leadership which was entertaining at some points – for instance, when the US president gets on twitter and is a total idiot – but overall, i was like what! it also feels quite half-assed.
has anybody else read this? very odd
