Delirium (Delirium #1)
Author: Lauren Oliver
Published in: 2011
Delirium by Lauren Oliver summary of the book on Goodreads:
Ninety-five days, and then I’ll be safe.
I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.
I want to get it over with.
It’s hard to be patient.
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.
I had grown an unfaltering distaste for the utterly conventional structure of Dystopian novels appearing in every book of the genre, but Delirium compelled me to believe that Dystopian stories could be different and exciting as well. Breaking out of the common backdrop of a society being divided into classes or similar divisions, Delirium offers us a premise that is highly unique.
Plot
Delirium is the first book of the Delirium series, and features a girl called Lena, who lives in a Dystopian society where love is believed to be a fatal diseases, and the inhabitants of the soon-to-be Deliria Free America are encouraged to go through a special surgery to remove the disease from their body when they enter adulthood.
Lena has only a few days left before her surgery, when she meets people and is exposed to circumstances that changes her entire world, and her future becomes uncertain as she struggles to find her appropriate place within the adverse community.
Now, the plot is very much unique. The concept of removing love from the mankind is truly something I have read for the first time. Arranged marriage was also depicted to be a part of that new society, which only emphasized on the oppression of the new government. The beginning appeared a little confusing and dull to me because the author took her time to make readers comfortable with the concept and get them drawn into the society Lena lived in. But as the story progressed and the secrets started to disclose, the story accelerated and became an exciting one.
Characters
The main characters are Lena, Hana and Alex. While I loved Lena and Alex and the story between them, I hated Hana equally. She was a supportive friend and all, but I believe her character was a little whimsical and full of conflicts at times.
The other characters include Lena’s aunt Carol, cousin Grace and sister Rachel. There is also another character that I cannot talk about, but I liked reading about this character throughout the book.
In a nutshell, the characters were adequately enchanting and they were well developed.
Ending
The ending of the story couldn’t have been any better! It was somewhat unexpected, and the cliffhanger nearly killed me! It wasn’t boring or disappointing, and created an appropriate path and premise for the next book to take shape.
Lauren Oliver is a magician with words. Her words simply flow, and I couldn’t really help myself until I had reached the last page. If you have not read this book yet, then I highly recommend it. This series is truly worth giving a try!
My Rating: 5/5
