“Thought is retribution, a crime, treason against the Leader. And insofar as calm and tranquillity can incite a person to think, it is essential to drag out the masses to these roaring marches every once in a while to brainwash them and keep them from committing the crime of thought. What else could be the point of all that noise?”

For such a short book, it took me longer than I expected to finish it. The setting was completely immersive, but after a while my attention wandered. I enjoyed the idea of using love and laughter to fight dictatorship, but was somewhat disappointed to find no further opposition or appreciation of any other means of resistance. The way women (especially women's bodies) and sexual scenes were written also turned me away. However, it was an enjoyable and thought-provoking read overall and I will probably see if I can get my hands on Sirees' States of Passion.