Book review: The Dispossessed by Ursula le Guin

I have to admit right now that science fiction is not my thing.

For some reason, the idea of distant planets or alternative universes leaves me cold. It’s the same with science fiction in movies – my least favourite genre.

But, having heard so much about Ursula le Guin’s genre busting brilliance, I was tempted to read some of her work.

I took to Google to see which book I should choose, and fell upon The Dispossessed.

The novel is about an alternative world in which a group of people left one planet for a better life elsewhere.

A brilliant physicist, Shevek is tempted to reach out to the former planet for various reasons that only become clear at the end of the novel.

To be honest, I’m having trouble recounting the story because I read it over such a long time, dragging my eyes over each page, and felt so … bored.

I’m disappointed in myself that I really didn’t enjoy this book, even though I could see that the ideas behind it were clever, and should have been interesting.

But they just weren’t to me.

This doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying to enjoy science fiction – every book is different. But I was relieved to lose myself in a more familiar world for my next read.