Reviews with content warning for Incest - The Left Hand of Darkness

"But it was from the difference between us, not from the affinities and likenesses, but from the difference, that that love came: and it was itself the bridge, the only bridge, across what divided us."
This book is way ahead of its time, just like many of Le Guin's works. It was an emotional story with an interesting philosophy about gender and the perception of gender built into it. Genly starts off as misogynistic, seeing feminine qualities as deceitful and weak, which leads to his initial distrust of Estraven. I thought the development of the relationship between Estraven and Genly was the best part of the book.

Genly's eventual realization, appreciation, and acceptance of Estraven hit me really hard.

At some points, I felt like the narrative dragged on a little. Also, the ending was really sad and made me feel a little empty, but I don't know if there was a better way to end it. Overall, an interesting discussion about the duality of the human experience.

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edurnehaeon's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

had some trouble getting into it, but by about 30% i was pretty hooked in. i loved the world building, but i had trouble getting emotionally attached to the story. crazy to think this was written in the 60s

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gfiore11's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I just finished reading and feel compelled to immediately leave a review. Mind-blowing work of fiction that leaves me reflecting on both the book and my own understanding of the world. I have already returned back to reread sections to better understand the work as a whole, and will likely have to reread the entire work again to grasp every detail and symbol (this is rare for me). Although sad, the result is a hopeful and nuanced understanding of the nature of human difference, and how to bridge the divide between individuals and societies with love, understanding, and true acceptance at its core.

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mcc004's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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dokujoy's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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astrangewind's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

In my continuing search for Science Fiction That I Like, I was recommended The Left Hand of Darkness - a highly celebrated book written by a highly celebrated science fiction author.

By all means, I should have really liked this one. It has the things I really enjoy reading about: a unique civilization (which is written here very well); a planet on the edge of the human habitable zone; a bit of survivalism; a strong focus on characterization; and world-building that adds richness without being overly complex. It was simply fine.

The Left Hand of Darkness simply has too many pieces that don't fit together quite right. The primary plot - of Genly Ai attempting to convince Gethen to join the Ekumen - is, frankly, boring. I liked the plotline with Genly and Estraven well enough

(but imo they should have kissed)

. The overarching metaphor of the book - the central question of what human society would look like if men and women were on a level playing field - is initially fascinating from a cultural perspective, but it's ruined when Le Guin inserts a meta-chapter explaining the entire metaphor. If you have to explain the metaphor, then maybe it's not a very good one. Additionally, it has cisgender feminism written all over it. From a cis-feminist perspective, sure, it's fine. From a transgender perspective - which I naturally use, given that I am, myself, transgender - it's limiting and quite unimaginative. (And given how much emphasis Ai puts on his differing biology, and how often he's naked in front of any number of Gethenians, it really should've come up more often that he has external genitalia, which makes him weird.)

It was well-written but the plot was clumsy. The setting seemed to matter not at all; there was no reason this had to have happened on a different planet at all, as opposed to some fantasy setting, or even on Earth in the far north, say Siberia. Parts of it read like Lord of the Rings, for example, except occasionally someone mentions a car or a radio or a spaceship.

Maybe I'm too slow, or not well-read enough on the relevant feminist literature of the 1970s, but The Left Hand of Darkness just didn't really click for me.

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