“Awaken” by Katie Kacvinsky
“They don’t make paper books anymore – it’s illegal to chop down real trees. They still grow in some parts of the world, but I’ve never seen one.”
Katie Kacvinsky’s Awaken presents a dystopian vision of 2060 in which digital interaction has replaced face-to-face contact, synthetic trees have replaced real ones, and books only exist in digital forms.
The novel follows 17-year-old Madeline Freeman, the daughter of the architect behind Digital School (DS), an online education system. She is intelligent and confident. In her world, most human interactions occur through screens. Under the stern supervision of her father, she questions this digital lifestyle. She has a rebellious spirit and is capable of independent thought and action.
The novel takes a significant turn when Madeline meets Justine, a fellow student who prefers long hands to digital typing and believes in human communication. Justin introduces Madeline to the physical world beyond the screen. He catalyzes Madeline’s awakening to the real world. But will it be possible for them to recuperate the lost world of human connection?
The author’s attention to detail shines through her minute description of synthetic trees. The trees never lose their leaves and can be spray painted when their colours fade or when someone wishes to put some different colour matching the season. Again, Madeline’s first encounter with the real world is described with pictorial vividness. In her pen, a world of digital isolation has been drawn perfectly.
Although the romance between Madeline and Justin holds the central plot, sometimes it feels forced and not in cohesion with the broader aspect of the novel. Justin navigates Maddie through the real world of human connection, but his character appears dogmatic, always preaching against the digital system.
“I think people are nuts to shut themselves inside all day long. We’re cutting ourselves off from each other and it’s only going to get worse.”
Maddie’s dependence on Justine undermines her personal growth and independent thought patterns. Again, in some places, the narrative appears repetitive and dragging. But ultimately the book deserves readers’ attention as it is very relevant to our present context. The author’s voice acts as a social commentary on digital isolation. The book pushes us to question the priority of technological convenience over human connection. The novel serves as a warning to our overreliance on technology as well as a celebration of genuine human connection. Readers who like to read dystopian tales with introspective tone will certainly love this book.
Best quotes
- Life is too short to say maybe.
- It’s easy to delete the truth when you live behind your own permanent censor.
- But just when I believed something was simple, there was always more lurking underneath.