I knew what to expect in this book: a dystopian society, a totalitarian regime, oppressed masses, the resistance, a hero, and finally, a hopeful future. Well, 1984 gave me all that, but not in the way I was mentally prepared for. The regime? Not the capitalist one that always takes power in these cases. The masses? Do we even like them or are we just disgusted because we can see ourselves in them? The resistance? What resistance? A hero? Yeah right. And the hopeful future? Blink and you'll miss it.

I expected to be angry, to rage against the system, to draw parallels with our society that I'd later convince myself are not real. In the end, I would be inspired and believe that humanity will always win. Well, that is not 1984. It shows you how far humans will go to seek power and leaves you with the knowledge that power can, and might, defeat the human spirit. The parallels with our society? More real than imagined. And now, at 3 a.m when I can't sleep, I am more convinced that yes, 1984 is a prophetic book, and an Orwellian dystopia is just around the corner.