I finished my book this week, and I read roughly around 3 hours I would say at least. The finale of everything coming together was a fast read; I really did not want to put the book down until I finished everything. Although I could see some of the events coming, I was completely shocked by some of the events that happened in the ending. We find out that the "plague" that has hit the entire world and completely destroying the whole human race is actually a result of a drug that Crake and his company has created. This drug, called BlyssPluss, is a single pill that would do all the following:
(a) would protect the user against all known sexually transmitted diseases, fatal, inconvenient, or merely unsightly;
(b) would prolong youth;
(c) would provide an unlimited supply of libido and sexual prowess, thus reducing the frustration and blocked testosterone that led to jealousy and violence, and eliminating feeling of low self-worth.
Since I already knew that "something" had to be killing the entire human race, I kind of figured there was something involving these drugs that had to be the cause. Crake had Oryx go around to various parts of the world (pretty much every country) to sell these BlyssPluss pills that the company knew that NO ONE could resist but purchase the pill. While Oryx was going around and doing this, she would come back and "please" her boss (Crake), but she only did this for business affairs, not because she had feelings for him. Shortly after she pleased Crake, Oryx would go spend the rest of her time with Jimmy (Snowman) since she actually enjoyed his company and had feelings of love for him. Jimmy, however, constantly asked her why she "pleased" Crake and pestered her by saying that they could run away together to the pleeblands (the real world outside of the Compound). Oryx simply insisted that Crake was good to her and that Jimmy had nothing to worry about since her feelings were not for Crake but for him instead. On one of these late night excursions Oryx told Jimmy that she would go pick up some pizza for them to eat. She did not return for hours. Worried and frantic, Jimmy knows that something must be wrong since she would not take this long to return to him. Then he heard his cellphone ring and answered it to find a frantic Oryx crying on the other end of the phone. She sobs to Jimmy and says that she is sorry and did not know... Jimmy is confused by this statement and questions her about this. She tells him that it was in the pills she was giving away, the ones she was selling to all those countries. She says that they were supposed to help people. Then she goes on to say what Crake said to her, but the phone call was cut and Jimmy cannot get ahold of her again. Jimmy could not bear to think that something had happened to Oryx or if she had taken the pill herself and wondered if she was already infected with the fatally contagious bleeding disease the pills brought upon the user. Then Jimmy has everybody leave the airlocked biodome where the Crakers are at; he tells the workers to all go back to their suites and rest up since they would need to work strenuously after their night's rest. He lied to them and locked everyone out but himself and the Crakers. Crake shows up with Oryx in his arms and says she's had a hard time tonight and to let him in. Jimmy does not want to in case both of them have acquired the disease, but Crake insists that Jimmy is already immune to it all since they both have taken pleeb vaccines before entering the pleeblands. Jimmy codes the door to let them in and finds blood all over Crake's collar. Crake lets Oryx fall into one of his arms and directly tells Jimmy unsmiling that he is counting on him (to take care of the Crakers). Crake then slits Oryx's throat and Jimmy shoots Crake at the same time. Jimmy finds himself alone without his best friend (his only friend) and his true love both dead on the floor. Everyone else dies outside of the biodome as Jimmy waits it out inside and then guides the Crakers to the outside world where they begin their new life outside of the enclosed biodome. The ending is strange because Snowman finds three surviving humans of his own kind. He wonders whether they will accept him, kill him, or if he will end up killing them. He turns to look at his watch which shows zero hour (a blank face). He then decides it's time to go.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
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Several of you are reading this book, and I still can't decide if I want to read it. Your summary makes it sound interesting, but still not something I would devote large amounts of time to. Remember to tell me what you think as you read. Did you like it? What was going through your head?
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