Another love story taking place in a dystopian society...the catch: "love" is the control factor.
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.
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.
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