Do you ever read a book and think to yourself, “Wow, what would I give to discuss this in my high school AP Lit class?” Sure, maybe the discussion wouldn’t be especially intellectual, but it would be fun, and you would just love to hear your classmates’ off-the-wall takes. Well, if you haven’t experienced this particular sensation––but you want to––look no further than “Julia” by Sandra Newman. This retelling of George Orwell’s “1984” from the perspective of Winston’s love interest, Julia, is a fascinating new look at the original. This is coming from someone who has read “1984” three times (yes, three! I promise I had reasons each time and was not being weird), so I think I am qualified to deem “Julia” a success.
Compared to the original, there is far less world building and exposition, as Newman reasonably expects that you have read “1984” first. I did not remember “1984” as well as I thought, as my last reread was four years ago. However, as long as you can recall the key beats of the plot, you should feel comfortable reading this rewritten version. I was never truly bored, but at first, I wondered if I would eventually feel less interested in “Julia,” as the plot seemed very similar to what I remembered of the original. However, Newman makes a great plot choice a little before the halfway mark, and the novel truly comes into its own. I loved how she executed this decision and managed to keep me on my toes. I kept trying to read this book before going to bed, but I would get way too invested and struggle to put the book down so I could sleep!
Newman does a fantastic job trying to understand why Julia would have made certain decisions in “1984”, making her a very three-dimensional character who is worth reading about. She added a lot to the original novel, and she certainly fulfilled some of those cravings readers may have to find out more about the world Orwell originally created. A necessary process of filling in the gaps was to make explicit choices about some things that Orwell had chosen to keep ambiguous (i.e., is Big Brother a real person?). At first, I was a little skeptical about if this was the right thing to do, but as I kept reading, I appreciated that Newman had decided to make those choices. She supplemented the plot without making me feel like she ruined the value of the original novel at all. Additionally, I loved how skillfully Newman successfully carries out some things that Orwell only implies, especially in the scenes in Room 101.
Newman does some truly brilliant things with Julia’s arc throughout the book, with one particularly satisfying moment of her character growth making me so excited I could have squealed aloud. She truly makes Julia the center of her own world, using Winston more as a plot tool than a love interest. I was so invested in Julia and her journey, and all compliments go to Newman for making me feel that way. Regardless of how you felt about “1984” after reading it, this book has something to give you. I highly recommend this thrilling take on a classic. If you do read it, please come find me to discuss that ending!
