The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin
Science Fiction, 400 pp (Mass Market)
Eos, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 

FTC Disclosure: Library Book. 

The last line: “His hands were empty, as they ahd always been.” 

In this case, empty is not necessarily a bad thing. 

What is utopia? A place? Or is it only a state of mind? Perhaps, it is merely an illusion we make real in order to cope. That is of course if we ever find it. 

Shevek is in search of something, and instead of finding it, he discovers a newness of self, one that he struggles to resolve. It is this discovery which leads me to better understand the title of the book. 

Dispossessed: having suffered the loss of expectations, prospects, relationships, etc.; disaffiliated; alienated. 

The thing is, while alienated from the life he knew before he left his world physically, Shevek comes to realize he had been dealing with the same things psychologically long before he went in search of belonging, of incorporation, of cohesiveness. 

The protagonist searches for an ideal, and in the end it is left to the reader to determine if he found it, and where. 

I am not going to say more. So move along now. No spoilers here. 

My only gripes were that there were some lengthy, scientific/philosophical debates, which I skimmed as they went way beyond my comprehension and patience. Also, and this is very minor, there is the layout. The chapters alternate between the past and present, leading up to the final chapter where they merge. 

This was never a problem for me, and it shouldn’t be for anyone else. I found it harder to adjust to The Time Traveler’s Wife than I did this narrative. 

Still, I found this to be an enjoyable read and for any lover of science fiction, this book is for you.