Yay or Nay: Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam #1) (Novel)

“Nature is to zoos as God is to churches.”

This novel takes a different tune from last week's novel that Margaret Atwood authored. This is a series (I believe a trilogy), taking place in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world. Only, there's a slight twist. In most apocalyptic novels, there's usually some horrible event that has happened, prompting a protagonist, the victim, into doing something. In this story...well, let me tell you more! 

I didn't think I'd really like this book as I thought mixing Margaret Atwood and a futuristic/apocalyptic genre. But I was pleasantly surprised. Although a little confusing at first, I think there's a lot of messages that hit closer to home than we think. 

So what's the story? 

The Story

“Toast was a pointless invention from the Dark Ages. Toast was an implement of torture that caused all those subjected to it to regurgitate in verbal form the sins and crimes of their past lives. Toast was a ritual item devoured by fetishists in the belief that it would enhance their kinetic and sexual powers. Toast cannot be explained by any rational means.

Toast is me.

I am toast.”

So, I will offer what GoodReads describes as this story's synopsis, because there's a lot of layers to this story, and I don't think I can recreate it any better than what they've written here: 

"...an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future. Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey–with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake–through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride."

So, let's talk about the story for a moment. It's not completely a sci-fi or futuristic novel, but a love story. Most of it, in fact, takes place in the past, with Snowman recalling his life before the Plague. He cares for the "Children of Crake", as is later discovered, a genetically engineered species created by his friend Crake. Oryx, the woman they both loved, is revered to these people as a sort of godlike figure, as is Crake. Jimmy, or "Snowman", is their messenger. 

This is what is first established, but as you read into the book more you see what exactly happened for everything to come to fruition. Crake is a genius, but with that, he wants to make an ideal culture that does not have mankind's failures (war, religion, imperfections, etc.). So he makes one, enlisting the help of Jimmy to do so. Oryx, Crake and Jimmy first see on a porno site in their youth, which Crake enlists to help "teach" the Children of Crake. The irony in this is that by doing so actually creates a religious system which comes into play later. 

The story that takes place during the present is Snowman's journey for more supplies, as he travels back to the lab where Crake, him, and Oryx once lived, and dealing witht the fact he may be the only human left on Earth. 

The Science in the Children of Crake

So, one of the things that really stood out to me was the philosophy behind the Children of Crake and why they were made. Crake is nothing short of a genius in this novel, if not coming across as coldhearted and inhuman. To him, the reasons why humanity has gone to war is because of things like population control, culture, and religion. In making the "Children of Crake", he's isolated them from a few select people, trying to create a harmonious culture without humanity's interference. 

But Jimmy is just an average guy who was friends with Crake, thrust into it all. 

“Men can imagine their own deaths, they can see them coming, and the mere though of impending death acts like an aphrodisiac. A dog or rabbit doesn't behave like that. Take birds -- in a lean season they cut down on the eggs, or they won't mate at all. They put their energy into staying alive themselves until times get better. But human beings hope they can stick their souls into someone else, some new version of themselves, and live on forever.

As a species were doomed by hope, then?

You could call it hope. That, or desperation.

But we're doomed without hope, as well, said Jimmy.

Only as individuals, said Crake cheerfully.”

And Jimmy also falls in love with Oryx, who, of course fall in love with him, behind Crake's back. Prior to joining up with Crake, Jimmy's life is that of womanizing and boredom. He calls himself a "words" person, while Crake is a "numbers" person. The relationship between Crake, Jimmy, and the Children (called Crakers) is not revealed until the end of the story, where one of my favourite scenes happens. 

Specifically, the Crakers are beginning to create art, which to Crake is the first sign of a society going astray. Jimmy decides to leave them with that, rather than stop them. This was pretty interesting for me, as Jimmy has decided to let them evolve on their own. It's really a story about hopelessness and survival. Science has gone astray, and Crake released a plague to kill all of humanity. For some unknown reason, Jimmy survives. So, it's not so much a sci-fi novel, as the technology in this is not explained, more than it is a narrative of love and adventure. It ends with his choice to let the Crakers survive on their own that is the ultimate choice.

I think there is also an aspect of realism to the tale. Throughout, you can see that Snowman isn't actually coping with this well, and often, the people he once knew become "voices in the wind" literally. It becomes an emotional journey as well. 

Characters and Content 

“He has to find more and better ways of occupying his time. His time, what a bankrupt idea, as if he's been given a box of time belonging to him alone, stuffed to the brim with hours and minutes that he can spend like money. Trouble is, the box has holes in it and the time is running out, no matter what he does with it.”

While like a lot of Atwood's material, the story starts off slow, and steady. Often the structure works going from past to present, trying to establish relationships along the way. Particularly, Jimmy is the one you'll follow, but Atwood also establishes Oryx and Crake very nicely along the way. 

The society, because of it's futuristic and unfamiliar nature, might also be hard for readers to grasp at first. That's okay, because if Atwood doesn't spend much time talking about it, it's likely not worth remembering. She doesn't stick too long on describing the society, although the reader will pick it up as they read. Pay attention more to the relationships and the characters because that is where, as usual, Atwood focuses on and shines. 

Like with last week's review, the web of relationships is brought together at the end, and I personally think that this book makes a statement on the nature of humanity and scientific advancement. Specifically, that humanity is not ready (emotionally, culturally, or otherwise) to deal with what needs to be done (which is half of what Crake suggests). Ultimately, it comes down to a theme of choice. Choices affect everything in this novel in a major way, and are often left as landmarks for Jimmy (now Snowman), to see. 

Example: when he sees Oryx's and Crake's bones at the end of the novel, and where it once caused him so much trauma, all he can do is walk past numbly. These are little snippets, but they're huge to the novel. Read it to find out of course, but I think that's a charm of the novel, mixed with Atwood's style. In that regard, I found this very pleasant. It has a distinct voice.

My Rating

Well, this was a pleasure to read, but like with "Robber Bride" it can sometimes be confusing (in terms of the world Atwood creates) to read. However, Atwood is much more clear in what's going on in this book. It was by no means a bad book at all.

My rating? ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Definitely worth borrowing from your local library and/or buying! 

~Meghan