Monday, September 26, 2011

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Book: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
# of Pages: 441 (Hardcover)
Rating: 4.5 stars

Lena lives in a world where love is considered a serious disease. Boys and girls go to separate schools. Marriages are arranged (AHH!) And everyone must be cured of love, aka deliria, when they turn 18. This cure rids a person of the ability to love or express any other real emotion for the rest of their life. The cure also makes people happier. Lena is afraid of love and is counting down the days until her procedure. She is a strong believer in the government's laws and is very careful with how she acts and what she says. Then, she meets Alex and her whole world turns upside down.

For the first part of the book, I did not like Lena much. She was so focused on following the rules and lecturing her best friend, Hana. At one point I found myself wishing that Hana was the protagonist. But, once Alex came into Lena's life, she began to relax a bit and became more likable. Once she made this turn, it was easier to want her to be happy, to want her to end up with Alex even though the odds are against her. Unfortunately, the story ended on a cliffhanger to which I cannot help but say UGH!

Oliver's idea of treating love as an epidemic is genius. Not only does it set her novel apart from the other dystopians that have been released this year, but it also gives the story a believable quality. She takes the term love sick to a whole new level.

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