In the world that Lena has grown up in, love is a disease. It's called "deliria," and when people turn eighteen, they undergo a procedure called the "cure." This ensures that no one is infected by the disease.
Lena has grown up counting down the days until she can be safe and cured. But the summer before her eighteenth birthday, the unthinkable happens - she falls in love! Caught between knowing that following her head and the rules of her community by getting cured will ensure a safe future, and following her heart, Lena struggles with deciding what is right and what is wrong.
Back when I read BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver, everyone was raving about it. And while I liked it, I didn't think it was as great as everyone was claiming. So when I read about DELIRIUM, I didn't get my hopes up. But boy, was I surprised! This book was so much better than BEFORE I FALL!
Right off the bat, I was engrossed in the story. A world without love? I can't even imagine having to live and not being able to feel things. I really can't fathom it. I am a very emotional person, so the idea of being "cured" of the "disease" is astonishing to me! But the way the community was described made it feel so real. Very scary! ( I loved the quotes that were at the beginning of each chapter - they were from "real" books talking about the disease.)
I quickly grew to love Lena. She tried so hard to be good and follow the rules, yet she knew something was wrong and she followed her *gasp* heart. And I loved Alex, too! What a sweet guy!
There are several surprises in this story. I have to say that I personally didn't like the ending, but that doesn't stop it from being an amazing story. The ending is good and it fits; it's just not what I thought was going to happen. It's been awhile since I have felt that strongly about a book and thought about it so much afterwards. So far, this is my favorite book of the year (both 2010 & 2011)!
A world where love is a disease that can be cured by an operation and without it, your life is to be painless and worry free. As they believe that the pain from love causes other deadly diseases in the body - if you are not able to be cured you are jailed or executed. While reading this book it made me think of religious groups who are cultlike and are able to create panic and fear to keep their followers entranced by their crazy rituals and beliefs. It was one of those books where I kept thinking, come on people SNAP out of it!
In the middle of the book, I went to look up some stats and see if there were any reviews. I am glad I did this half way through or I may have not started it because sometimes I am just not risky in my reading. I found out that this will be the first of a series of at least three that I am aware of - well I will definitely be looking for the next two when they arrive on the shelves.
As to whom I would pass this book along to - almost anyone! Even though this may be out of your realm of normal reading genre, I would say the departure would be well worth the trip.
After years of loving Delirium and re-reading it now, I realized that I never fully finished the book. And now I am sitting here after being finished with the book and dont even know what to say. The love, the pain, the shock, and the raw feelings from this story broke my heart all over again.
I know that the whole pointthe only pointis to find the things that matter, and hold on to them, and fight for them, and refuse to let them go.
Best part about experiencing this book as Audiobook the great narrator. Sarah Drew really outdid herself and really made my heart flutter with the expressions. There are no more words that I can say which can tell how beautiful and absolutely perfect this was. Turns out I suck at positive review because I am so overwhelmed with emotions but seriously guys - its amazing
It's amazing how words can do that, just shred your insides apart. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me - such bullshit.
This particular story takes place in the city of Portland where state borders have electrified fences and the United States as a country has isolated itself from the rest of the world. The "blitz" does not refer to any of the World Wars, rather it refers to a time when the U.S. dropped bombs on citizens that would not go along with the "cleansing" process. The survivors live in the Wilds and are called Invalids.
Amor deliria nervosa - a.k.a love is a disease. So, at 18 years old those that have not been "cured" have "the procedure" and are processed. What exactly does this mean? The uncureds are taken to a lab where they are somewhat lobotonised. (No one exactly knows what goes on, but it is a description Hana, the protagonist's best friend, gives.) Those that refuse the cure are clubbed and dragged off to the labs anyway. Those that the cure doesn't work on are imprisoned in the Crypts. Sympathizers and Invalids (when caught) are imprisoned there also.
If someone is a relative of a Sympathizer he/she can be ostracized by society. This in turn will affect who he/she is paired with for marriage, which will also affect what societal hierachy he/she will fall into. (Typical haves and have nots scenario.)
Well, Lena has lived her whole life hearing whispers of how her blood is tainted with the "disease" because of her mother. Nevertheless, she grows into adulthood and counts down the days until her procedure with her friend Hana. Lena is portrayed as the good girl - too timid and afraid of society to step out of line. Hana is curious and bored and inadvertantly becomes the catalyst. When Lena meets Alex she tries to balance two worlds: her world and the world of the invalid's.
I think I would have liked it better if I could connect with the characters more, but I didn't as much as I wanted. My favorite character was Gracie. Too bad she didn't play a bigger role. But I liked Alex too.
I loved how the author made careful note of colors in the book. The color of Alex's hair is autumn. His eyes sparkle gold. Her favorite color is gray. I love how the symbolism of color in this book played such a big role. That and I loved the random attention to detail that is brought to our attention.
The story was pretty fast paced in that it always changed. There wasn't action per say, but more like maturation happened and then some action. A little rebellion here, breaking a law there. Plus, I loved how the author took famous stories of love, like the Bible and Romeo and Juliet and turned it to fit her world. That and the odd pieces of "history" and nursery rhymes that she created. It was well made, like stepping into a world. Not all authors accomplish that.
One of the best dystopian fantasies of the year, I'll bet! A lot like the Hunger Games and Matched put together. Great read! Plus the cover is pretty awesome too!
Just as a side note, this isn't a romance book really. Sure there's romance, but it's fleeting and a little... background to me. The fact that they were sneaking around was more important to the book than the actual romance. It was just sorta so-so, but sweet regardless.
With the new trend of Zombie fiction I think Lauren Oliver has made a zombie book of her own. The "cured" (people who've had the procedure to remove the capability to love) bumble about in their existent blind to what life should be like. I think Lena's love interest described it as the whole world was asleep. And Lena was awake.
I don't quite have some graphic to list my rating as. Stars, Bats, whatever. But when I stay up till 3am to finish it, I say it's good. No, great.
DELIRIUM is an impeccably crafted novel, and Lauren Oliver has a beautiful way with words. Still, those do very little for me if I cannot believe and invest in the essentials of the story and worldstarting with Lena. Pardon me while I throw up my hands and despair yet again at why people insist on having main characters whom everyone else considers special and strong, but really isntand not because of humility, but because they really do not display any actions or thoughts that Id consider indicative of strength, and because they really are, in fact, just plain boring and bland. Lena talks at length about her unusually vibrant mother and how she feels different than everyone else, but little of her actions (or lack thereof) really show me that.
None of the other characters in DELIRIUM really felt real to me, either. The romance between Lena and Alex was more about this inexplicable attraction between the two of them than any substantial development of a relationship. In fact, the narration seems to spend more time describing why this character or other should be a certain way instead of just letting the characters be the way they want us to see them as. Does that make sense? As a reader, I value my ability to figure out what the author intends for characters personalities instead of them being analyzed to death by the narration. As far as characterization goes, I definitely think that less (analysis) is more (details).
But what didnt work for me right from the start was the premise of DELIRIUM. Dont get me wrong: if done right, Im a sucker for the dystopian love-is-bad setup. But DELIRIUM failed to convince me of the worldsshall we say, fullness. Perhaps this is because DELIRIUM arrives in the midst of a slew of other YA dystopian novels in which love is considered dangerous. Its a hard premise to develop well, lets just say that upfront! Nevertheless, as the pages passed, I found myself wondering: from what did this start? How does the science behind the cure actually work? Why do they allow those dangerous Uncured rebels to live in the wild without striking them down with all of their might? And thenif the society is supposedly so strict, why does Lena so easily escape the notice of all the Regulators on her law-breaking midnight bike ride? And thenhow the hell would a group of people be able to have a typical high school beer-n-music barn party in this society? If that didnt smack you upside the head as a blatant setup for another chance encounter between Lena and Alex, then I dont know what will. I justdidnt think the setup behind Lenas society was thought through well enough to convince me that the characters fully lived in this world.
The writing is wonderful, but that will not do it for me if the protagonist, supporting characters, and premise of the book do not feel complete. Im sure that many readers will be so captivated by the lyricism and philosophical provocation to let my issues with the book hinder them, and rightfully so for the book. Still, though, this is what I thought of it.
I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was okay. The narrator made the male voices sound a bit unrealistic and goofy. Additional she gives our heroine, Lena, a voice that is very breathless and urgent sounding throughout. At first it does help to make situations seem more urgent, but as the story progresses it just makes the heroine sound like she's overreacting to everything. In short I wouldn't recommend listening to this on audiobook.
This book is typical YA dystopian from the beginning to the end. Basically after a huge disaster (which we only know is called the Blitz) cities decide that humans have to undergo labadamies at the age of eighteen in order to make them not love or react with strong emotions. It's a stretch as a premise I know.
Of course our heroine is a good little girl and is excited to get her "cure" until she meets a boy and falls in love with him (yawn). Now she doesn't want to be cured but wants to escape with him...of course she has to get caught right before she's going to escape and (of course) they move her procedure up. Okay I guess you could call that last sentence spoilers...but really you knew from page 1 what was going to happen here if you have ever read any YA dystopian books.
The story is slow, the heroine is cookie-cutter boring. The writing is okay; I felt like there was a lot of time spent with character dramatically over-analyzing their feelings..but whatever. I was just never emotionally involved with these characters so there's that.
The book "ties up" basically in the middle of an action scene of sorts; which is to say it ends up on a giant cliffhanger with no resolutions (except if you've read other YA dystopian you can guess what will happen in book 2...I went and read a recap of book 2 just to see if I was right...I was).
Overall an incredibly typical young adult dystopian novels. It is decently written so if you want an overly dramatic and predictable dystopian read with a lot of teenage angst over love and feelings; this should fit the bill. I personally thought it was predictable, boring and generally inane. I wasn't a fan and won't continue reading the series.
Review: DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver
This post originally appeared on Aurelia.
The Short of It:
Lauren Oliver’s second novel is stunning. A high-concept dystopia, but through the lens of her quiet pacing and luscious prose, somehow less dark, but just as profound and disturbing. It’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, but entwined with and eclipsed by Sleeping Beauty and Romeo and Juliet. Oliver gives us remarkably true characters, a languid, feel-it-on-your-skin final summer of innocence wrapped in a bewitchingly uncomplicated plot. More than that, she gives us every inch the experience of falling in love. This is the book you won’t want to put down, but it’s also the one you’ll find yourself slowing and stalling to try to draw the experience out and avoid the inevitable “The End”.
Rating:
“Do not miss out on this experience!”
The Review:
I was positively enchanted by this book. If I thought it was enough to motivate you, I’d leave it at that. That would be my review, and you would all run out and get it so you could experience that sense of enchantment for yourselves. I’d much prefer to just let the book work it’s magic on you. But, since I know the world doesn’t really work that way, I’ve been sitting with it for a couple of weeks now trying to figure out how to convey just how much I adored this book without either a) cheapening it or b) telling you too many details about what I loved about the book and therefore spoiling the surprise of it. Because I think one of the things I enjoyed most about Delirium was how much it managed to surprise me. The surprise came in many forms. It would be pretty simple to chalk it up to the dystopian factor. Yes, I happen to love dystopian fiction, I always have. Except, as a dystopian story the base plot itself, is actually pretty standard fare; but, layered on top of that base plot is so much poetry. The characters, the language, the descriptions, the little quiet moments, the subtle but game-changing twists and an ending that will pull the breath from your lungs. I dare you to not fall in love with this book.
The Concept:
Imagine a world where love is considered a disease. With a cure. Not only is the concept fresh, Oliver manages to draw on so many of our modern-day fears and assumptions to make this into an eerily plausible dystopia.
"It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't."
The roots of this particular dystopia are omnipresent. We as a species have always been pretty inventive at finding ways to not have to deal with pain. There is something appealing to the idea of knowing you’ll never have to hurt again. Never have to feel emotional pain. Never know the ache of longing or loneliness or regret. There are days I think, for each of us, when a cure sounds pretty freakin’ good. The cure technology may be different today, less permanent: drugs, alcohol, work, exercise, the internet - anything to keep from feeling...human enough to be hurt. Throw in a dash of our ever-increasing tendency to pathologize and you can see people buying into this, if even just a little bit.
The Story:
The heart of the story though, really takes place amongst this contrast between the madness of being in love and the apathy and dissociation that these people experience after the procedure. This is another place where Oliver gets things dead right I think. If love is madness, the cure is the ultimate drug. But, the dystopian story, at least for me, took a bit of a back-seat to the love story in this one. This is Lena’s story. It’s about pain, and loss, and family and perception, but overwhelmingly, it’s a book about first love. About the experience of it, the look of it, the meaning of it, the taste of it, the consequences of it, the language of it, and, yes - the madness of it. The book paces a little slowly at first, giving an appropriate distinction to the feeling of everything speeding up once Alex and Lena start to fall for one another. And also, I think, to the complacency that is all around Lena as the story starts. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the story. And where it broke out and surprised me, it did so in big, grand, earth-shattering ways.
The Characters:
Nearly all of Delirium’s character’s were intriguing in some way. Even those who have been “cured” and whose emotions have been stripped away manage to have a story to tell. Mostly I felt sorry for them, which is again a tribute to Oliver’s writing. These characters could have so easily come across as dead and flat, but they don’t. The book teems with a host of other minor characters that are worth getting to know for yourself. I have a feeling several will have larger roles to play as the series progresses. As for the three main characters in this book, Lena, our heroine is so innocent at the beginning of this book, and I instantly loved her for it. This innocence (even in a 17 yr old) was so real, so right because of the closed and monitored environment in which she was raised. She’s also highly relatable because she’s not only awkward and damaged, she has this spark of intelligence and a deep instinct to question what she sees. Traits we might take for granted as simply human, but which in Lena’s world are a product of the unique circumstances that have occurred in her life before the story begins. She’s also admirable as a character who manages to take action, despite her overwhelming fears. Alex and Hana manage to be remarkable for other reasons. Alex, as the love interest is pretty much the perfect guy. This would be annoying if he didn’t have such an interesting story to tell himself and if I didn’t come away feeling that Lena both needed and deserved a guy like that. And ok, admittedly I think I fell in love with him just a bit myself. There’s that part of me that’s still holding out for her Prince Charming and feeds on characters like Alex that make me think that maybe there really are a few good guys like that out there. But honestly, the story doesn’t have as much of an emotional payoff if you don’t fall in love with Alex just a bit. Hana, gorgeous and privileged is the best friend we all wish we had. She’s not perfect however, and that was what I liked most about her character. I’m very curious to see where she ends up in book two.
The Series:
Can I just say bravo to Ms. Oliver for writing a series starter the way a series should be written. Yes, there are some huge things that happen at the end of the story that leave you wondering what happens next, but this story is also completely capable of standing on it’s own. I didn’t feel ripped off at the end. I didn’t feel like I had wasted hours reading a book just to get a rewarded with something akin to, “just kidding, the good stuff all happens in the next book...or the one after that”. I was left in tears at the perfection of the ending, satisfied, but still hungry for more. The second book in the series, Pandemonium will be out in 2012, with the final installment, Requiem due in 2013. You can bet I'll be first in line to pick up the sequel's to this one.
Cover Story: A
Can we say we love it, adore it, worship it, or would that be a bit clichéd in this case? Clichés be damned. I’m in love. This book goes on sale today, and I haven’t held the finished product in my hands (ahem, we won’t name the store I was at this morning that didn’t have it on display yet), but peeps - did you know that this is a cutaway cover? Yep, you get to peel away the blue to actually see the model underneath. I really like the cover just as we've been seeing it, just giving us a glimpse of what might be hidden there. But, I was pleasantly surprised with the image of the cover model as well, while she’s not exactly how I had pictured Lena, I love that she’s not the typical Abercrombette either. And the whole idea of the cover itself, very much a finding the beauty hiding within motif. It’s pretty damn perfect.
Review Copy: Courtesy of Harper Teen (via NetGalley)
