Newman is faithful to Orwell’s Julia in ways I didn’t expect. She is as impassive and complacent at points as in 1984, the feminist aspect comes in that we are given further insight into her psyche and can thus feel pathos for her— she can be redeemed as Winston is; and for all her impassivity, she is more cunning than he, see in the Ministry of Love, her decision on Big Brother averse to Smith’s. They are both real in this supplement, Julia is given depth at last, and not so that it feels incongruous to Orwell’s original character. Her impassivity is not an expression of Orwell’s misogyny, but something that makes her alike us all, who may not have the strength to stand up against a regime corrupted from the start because it keeps us safe. 

The intertextuality of this novel beyond just the source of 1984 was incredible. I adored the references to Animal Farm, Julia preening with rich ribbons on her cheek as Mollie does, the Brotherhood’s manifesto like Old Major’s speech, lump sugar etc. They make the novel Orwellian despite its differences in style, which one must acknowledge—
having now read most of Burmese Days, and in full, Homage to Catalonia, The Road to Wigan Pier, alongside his two magnum opuses, Orwell seemed rather scared of using the, some would say, ‘crude’ terms Newman does. 

Newman’s closing comments on the dangers of extremism, even extremism for the ‘good fight’, as dangerous and damning are the ideas I fell in love with Orwell for in his Notes on Nationalism essay, and adored writing about when I studied Animal Farm, and so this novel felt at points something meant for the English Literature Paper One girl in me. As I am now writing a dissertation on Orwell’s misogyny across his complete works I did need a reminder of why I chose to write upon him after trudging through too much of his disappointing pedantry, and this was just perfect. 

In addition, the sense Newman gives of the females eternal sense of the voyeur with Julia acting up to the snoops in the telescreens was incredibly thought provoking, the ideas discussed around female conflation of love and hatred within the male form intrigued me very much, and felt pertinent still to the source— just widening it to allow the female perspective and for all Orwell’s women readers to feel the full impact of his masterpiece again, and arguably further. 

Whilst it is not comparative to the source in its style, or in the sum of its political comments, it is an incredible read and well worth the near 400 pages.