My review of Red Pill by Hari Kunzru on Good Reads

Red Pill by Hari Kunzru
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This novel was not a feel-good read. It was the opposite of that, actually. The timing for me didn't help, I started reading it right before the assassination attempt July 13th and finished reading it moments before I learned that Biden dropped out of the race.

On the surface this novel is about a writer who goes to a writing retreat in Berlin, he is trying to publish a book but he can't write. Then he becomes obssessed with this cop-show called "Blue Lives" then things get weird. The vibe of the whole book is an anxious, paranoid one. Scary, but not in a fun way, more like a depressive way.

Under the hood, there's a lot to unpack, lots of literary references to writers I had never heard about, which was cool, lots of historic facts and most of all a big message told through metaphors and hints. I enjoyed the thought-provoking one-liners that made me question my beliefs and points of views.

The themes of the book revolve around fascism, racism and political power. The author doesn't preach, is not on the nose, it's subtle, but there if you know what to look for.

I took off a star because the story, well, I just did not enjoy the last part of the book, not that it was bad, I just didn't like it. There was an attempt to tie it together, but it didn't work for me.

JV

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