Book Review – Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting read, particularly compared to the two main movie adaptations. In particular, there’s a subtle yet strong subtext here, but it wasn’t at all what I expected. Rather than a warning about the Red Menace or McCarthyism, the concern seems to be more about the erosion of the white, middle class lifestyle. As if it isn’t bad enough that humans are being replaced by pod people, but the aliens aren’t even bothering to keep the streets clear of trash or paint the eaves on a regular basis. This is also very much a creature of its own time in narrative style and social consciousness. It’s particularly hard for a reader in the 21st century to know what to do with the virulent sexism of a book written in the 1950s and set in the 1970s. In general, however, fans of the films should give this a read. If nothing else, it supplies an ending that seems neither tacked on nor nihilistic.

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