Uncover the Hidden Meaning of Geoff Ryman’s 253 – Do you want to read a novel with a twist and definitely entertaining? If yes, your choice will match Geoff Ryman’s 253. This novel is different from the usual novel you have read. Let’s see what this novel has in store for you.
– The Novel was Made as a Website at First
If you are familiar with internet in 1996, you might have come across the website once. The novel was labeled as an online interactive novel with simple HTML design that also taught people how to use internet back then.
To access this novel, you just need to go to the website and click the person who catches your attention. The person will tell the story about himself and you will also see a hyperlink that will lead to other people with other stories. In addition to play live online poker games in , this is an interactive and fun way to try actually.
– There are 253 Passengers with 253 Words in Their Mini-Story
The website is pretty innovative, but then in 1998, Ryman made it into the printed version. When you are reading the story for the first time, you will be greeted with a foreword that tells you about the background of the story. From the foreword, you will know that the background of the story is in an underground train traveled from Embankment station to Elephant and Castle station. The train has seven carriages with 36 seats on each carriage with a total of 252 people on the train plus one driver that makes it 253. Then, you will see lots of indexes that will tell you where to go next.
Each person has his own story and there are exactly 253 words on each story. Through the story, you will know what kind of thought they think about. Some of the quite normal, but some of them are very bizarre. Take, for example, a person was in a phone call with her neighbor and she tells her how she overheard a phone call of two women who were plotting a murder. But, when you go to the neighbor’s section, you will know that the phone call is staged as a joke.
The novel is very entertaining because you will go to different indexes to read the different thoughts of the passengers. However, it will take you some time before you can finish the whole story compared to the usual novel with coherent narrative. Overall, the novel is very entertaining and keeps you curious about the end of the story.