Tolog Review: Blackout

Blackout
by Connie Willis
reviewed by Jia Yu Xin

Connie Willis, the author of Blackout starts the fiction novel in the future at Oxford University. The time travel machine is invented and sends the historians, Merope Ward, Polly Churchill and Michael Davies back to the time of World War II Britain.

Merope wants to investigate about the children in World War II, which lost their family and suffer poverties. Polly acts as a shop girl in London at Oxford Street in order to accomplish her mission to observe the refugees who live in the tube stations. However, she participates in a group at St. George’s Church. Michael is desires to watch the invasion of the Pearl Harbor and get the first-handed materials, but accidently arrived at the Saltram-on-Sea. They triumph over their issues independently and ends up meet each other in London. Unfortunately, they cannot reach their drops (certain place) to travel back to the future and returns to Oxford.

Blackout describes the World War II as a thrilling and desperate time period because the historians who travel back face the bombs, air attack, shrapnel and other horrible accidents. However, the strong personality those historians did not express any fearless towards the casualties, instead, they perform heroism throughout the novel. As they decide to go on the unknown journey back to World War II, the historians are displaying heroism and giving away themselves. Even they need to complete their missions, all of them express caring and sacrificing with their surrounding people. Merope helping children who was evacuated wholeheartedly in the war is a good example of heroism.

The novel is very confusing at the beginning but it will be very fascinating later on. It gives negative attitude of the scene of World War II, which is depressing but its well description of details and character’s mood or action leaves me a deep impressions and raise the excitements. Also, the spirit and personality of the main characters is very valuable for us to learn. The novel reflects to the readers about how we need to improve in our life later on. This book can read for people who love fictions but particularly to those who are interested in world history.