Thursday, January 27, 2011

Review: Delirium

DELIRIUM (Delirium #1)
Lauren Oliver
Young Adult
440 pages
Harper Teen
Available February 1st
Received from publisher via NetGalley

THE STORY
I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.

Well, the government is certainly going to try. Love is a disease. Something to be feared for its ability to cause extreme emotional reactions that inhibit a productive and healthy lifestyle. Love needs to be eradicated, and so there is the cure. At eighteen, everyone is evaluated and undergoes a procedure to remove the part of the brain responsible for love, resulting in a more stable individual who will take their place in a strong and flourishing society.

Lena is counting the days until her cure. Counting the days until she'll be free of emotion and can live a normal life with the man to whom she's matched, and will no longer be haunted by memories of a mother who laughed, danced, and defied all of society by loving her husband. Just a couple more months and she'll be safe.

On the day of her evaluation, several weeks prior to her eighteenth birthday, Lena catches a brief glimpse of young boy, laughing as he's watching the chaos resulting from a demonstration by Invalids, a group of people who refuse the cure and live outside city walls in the Wilds. Not long after, Lena runs into this young boy again, Alex he says his name is, and finds herself in the position she fears most: falling in love. How quickly her life changes. Instead of welcoming the cure, it's now the thing she dreads most for it will take from her her feelings for Alex, the boy who has changed everything.

MY THOUGHTS
Delirium is a story that flawlessly elicits from us the very emotions denied its characters, one that forces all our feelings to the surface so our pain and fear for Lena and Alex are etched across our features as we furrow our brows, bite our lips, and fidget uncomfortably in nervous anticipation. We proudly wear these outward markers which so irrefutably illustrate the level of our entanglement in the story, and glory in our emotive displays, thankful we can express our reactions freely while the characters to whom we eventually become so thoroughly connected must suppress them as a survival mechanism. We must breathe through a rapidly escalating anger and resentment at the rules and regulations strangling Lena's world, watching as strong and intelligent characters have the cure forced upon them but go down in a blaze of emotional glory, only to rise from the ashes cold and collected – phoenixes stripped of the colorful feathers and vibrant heart that made them pulse with life.

Lena has an exceptional inner fortitude, and as much as she tries to convince herself the cure is everything she wants out of life, her independent mind refuses to be cajoled by her half-hearted beliefs, and instead thrives with a latent defiance that surfaces at the most dangerous of times. The camaraderie with Lena does not form instantaneously however, as her overwhelming fear of sharing her mother's fate combined with her refusal to acknowledge her sympathies for the resistance keep us at an unfortunate distance. Once Alex manages to shatter the illusions to which she so desperately clings, the floodgates open and we are swept away in a glorious maelstrom of pent-up frustration, anger, and the most potent of all, love. This one little word in the context of this world has more significance and power than volumes of text, and when those eight letters, three words, and one meaning finally break the society-imposed silence and slide their way past Lena's lips, we can't help but mouth them along with her: I love you.

Though the relationship between Alex and Lena is a bit slow in developing, their interactions not truly beginning until almost halfway through the book, it is certainly one worth waiting for. One that represents so much more than an idle attraction or passing fancy, and one that causes our breath hitch as we know their journey will not be one marked by simple laughter, meaningful touches, or carefree smiles; but rather will be plagued by logistical difficulties, tormented by unimaginable repercussions should they be caught, and perhaps even destroyed by the very love which provides them so much happiness. With each whispered sentiment and sidelong glance, we find ourselves hunched closer to the pages in the hope physical proximity will allow us to better catch any subtle nuance in their fragile yet exceedingly resolute connection, fully understanding we have become so desperately attached to them we cannot tear ourselves from their embrace.

The only slight imperfection in an absolutely beautiful story is the presence of several extraneous anecdotes from a past time and place that highlight an emotion similar to the one Lena is experiencing presently, perhaps meant to reinforce the strength of the current feeling, but it takes us away from events in which we very much want to stay immersed. Overall however, Delirium is a story where the encouragement of emotional vacancy has the opposite effect on us as readers, our capacity to feel strengthening with every page until we are full to bursting, and we reach an end where the only outlet for release is to let the tears flow freely down our cheeks as we praise the beauty and pain of being in love.

Rating: 4.5/5

39 comments:

  1. Awesome review!!! I have that one on my wishlist since I didnt get approval from the pub on NetGalley =/

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  2. That is my favorite line from the book! I love it! Great review!

    Tara @ TamingTheBookshelf.com

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  3. Beautiful review for a beautiful story. Glad you loved it, too. My sentiment exactly!

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  4. Great review, Jenny! Strangely, I was not so interested in this book until I read your review. So thank you! The story seems beautiful.

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  5. Another fantastic review equal to the strength of Oliver's writing. I read this book so quickly and loved it that I plan on reading it again soon just to slow down and savor it the second time around.

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  6. Wow, I love books that affect you so much that you can't help but cry at the end. The pain of being in love plagues us all, surely. I've heard raving reviews about this book and cannot even wait to read it. :) Great review, Jenny! ♥

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  7. Amazing review! I agree Delirium was an emotional read. It was heartbreaking reading about a place with no love.

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  8. Excellent review, Jenny! I absolutely loved this book so so much, and I'm glad to see you did, too. It was a powerful and emotional read, and it's definitely one that will stay with me :)

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  9. Great review Jenny! I thought the emotions on this book were strong. I like feeling like the characters and the writing is fab.

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  10. Great review Jen. I'm still on the fence with this book. Everyone is saying it's fab but I'm not feeling it yet.

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  11. We are post buddies today! I absolutely loved this story and it is definitely one of my favorites. Phenomenal review Jenny!!

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  12. I'm just started reading this, so I really enjoyed your review, Jenny! Beautiful descriptions - yes, it appears to be very buttoned up, doesn't it - can't wait to finish it so we can compare notes :)

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  13. Delirium is the book i'm looking forward to the most right now! I pre-ordered it and can't wait until it arrives.

    Great review as always Jenny :).

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  14. Glad you enjoyed it! i'm looking forward to this one! I love love dystopians. Great review Jenny!

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  15. Incredible review! Don't you just love Oliver's writing style? I really enjoyed this one as well.

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  16. I love her writing style, and enjoyed this book. Are you talking about her mom?
    Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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  17. Gawd, you reviews are beautiful. There is an air of effortlessness about them, yet, as your eyes sweep over the words, you can't help but realize that only a master at word craft could construct something so eloquent.

    I have this one on my TBR, and I gotta say, I'm becoming a huge fan for slower build romances.

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  18. I only have about 100 pages left in this and I LOVE IT! I feel like the segues into past memories or incidents, adds to the hopelessness. It's almost as though the moments of emptiness and complacency are slowly being taken over by love and feelings of hope. I can't wait to see how it ends. :) Lovely review, by the way - your blog is excellent!

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  19. Thanks for all the lovely comments everyone, sorry I'm not individually responding, work is a little crazy today!

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  20. Oh, so it's a comparison of emotional opposites. Like sadness enhances laughter when side by side. I'm very interested and your review has really pushed me to putting this on my wishlist. I was on the fence before. Great review! Don't work too hard.

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  21. YES, totally agree. Delirium was just so great... it absolutely made you feel all those emotions that were forbidden in the book. I also cried at the end, it was just so intense.

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  22. I have this one on my queue to read and I'm hoping by the weekend! Looking forward to read it and comparing notes too. I love hearing about your thoughts, Jenny.

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  23. Melissa - This one took me a while to get into, but once I was in, I couldn't put it down:) Hope you give it a try!

    Ashley - I was a mess at the end, staring blankly at the last page going "when's the next one come out?". Loved:)

    Rummanah - Can't wait to see what you think of it!

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  24. Such a beautiful review. I LOVED reading this...I think its one of the best YAs Ive read in a very long time. I dont even know how to write my review on it.

    No love triangle...just good ol' true love that isnt the overnight variety...:D

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  25. What a beautiful review, Jenny! Reading it makes me want to read Delirium all the more-- I must be one of the few who hasn't yet. I also am glad there isn't a love triangle for once. :)

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  26. I always enjoy reading your reviews, Jenny! They just make me so excited to go out and read. Wonderful job!

    My Booking It Through Thursday

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  27. Tina - Thank you:) I loved this one as well, and I was so excited there was just one strong love interest. Woot!

    Kat - Thanks! I hope you read it soon, though it started slow for me, I couldn't put it down at the end:)

    Carissa - Thank you! I'd love to know your thoughts on this one if you decide to read it:)

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  28. Your reviews always blow my mind. You have a way with words!! This book turned out to be a fantastic read and definitely elicited emotion from me! :)

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  29. Ok, it's official... I'm seriously excited to read this book now! I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but you have such a wonderful way with words :o) Loved your review! Can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Delirium!

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  30. I have to say, after reading Before I Fall, I've been anxiously awaiting the release of Delirium! I'm glad to hear that you really enjoyed it! I have a copy from NetGalley, but I haven't gotten a chance to read it yet. Looking forward to it though!

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  31. Great review! I liked this book, too. The asylum was so creepy. Oliver did a great job creating her world. There was an overuse of a current word we tend to overuse today to express emotion. And this drove me nuts. Is that the slight imperfection you are referring to? There was once a while reference to an item we still use today that sometimes took me out of the world, too. However, I liked the characters and thought the ending was terrific! I can't wait to read the sequel!

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  32. It's only a few days until Delirium releases. I can't wait to get around to reading it!

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  33. Only a couple more days until the release and I can't wait to get a copy myself. Thanks for the review.

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  34. Another great review for this one! I've been hearing so many good things. Can't wait to read it now!

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  35. The wording of your reviews is always s treat.. I haven't seen anyone not like this book!

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  36. Oh, I've had this on my TBR pile for a while now and am so glad that you love this! It makes me even more keen on reading this now than it has before. I admit to not having read any of Lauren's books yet, but have heard she's a wonderful, wonderful writer. Fantastically written and engaging review as always Jenny!

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  37. Confession: I have skipped every single review for this thinking it was the second in a series. Thank god I clicked on your review. I have to add this to my TBR.

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  38. Awesome review! This is so on my wishlist!

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