Delirium, by Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium

Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: Harper

Year: 2011

# Pages: 441

Category: Required

Genre: Sci-fiction/dystopia

My Summary & Critique:

This novel was actually the first novel I read for my Young Adult literature course. I had ordered copies of the required readings so I could begin reading before the course even began, and this one seemed the most interesting to me. I definitely was not disappointed. Lauren Oliver “had me at hello,” so to speak, because the first paragraph laid out the story’s premise and I was hooked. In the first paragraph, I learned that love was a disease, a procedure could be performed that would cure people from this malady, and the main character was set to have this procedure on her birthday, just 95 days away. Her name is Lena Haloway, and she is looking forward to having the procedure on her 18^th birthday because she has seen the effects of amor deliria nervosa, or love, on members of her own family. She is reminded of its deadly symptoms by the memory of her sister’s delirium before she was “cured” and by the haunting memory of her mother, who, after three failed attempts at a cure, committed suicide. Her mother’s words stick in her brain, “I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.” As she approaches the date of the procedure, she must participate in an “evaluation’ which will help determine the course of her life, her schooling, her job, her spouse. After the cure, she will lead a life of safety and reason, a happy life, free from the unpleasant and dreaded symptoms of love. At her evaluation, she is surprised that some of her rehearsed answers come out all wrong and begins to lose faith in the path that lies ahead of her. Her friend, Hana, exhibits a rebellious attitude toward the cure and the rules of the society, leading Lena to attend parties and listen to forbidden music. She also meets Alex, a boy who is cured, who intrigues Lena, and she soon finds herself making excuses and breaking the rules to be with him. She soon sees her world in a different light and wants to escape her fate.

This story was phenomenal. I could not put it down. From the first page to the last, I was hooked into the story, intrigued by the problems that the characters faced, and I was enthralled by the thoughtful care with which the author portrayed this world. The change in attitude that Lena faced from the beginning of the novel to the end was satisfying to witness. As a reader, I knew right away about my feelings for this society but I loved being along for the ride as Lena expressed her acceptance, her questioning, and her rebellion along the way. This novel is an eye-opening picture of what life could be like if we were to seek such control over our emotions in the search for freedom from pain. Teen readers will be engrossed in Lena’s struggle to reconcile her emotional nature that seems to be at odds with her society and they will identify with the conflicts she faces as she questions authority. I am glad that the ending leaves an opening for more of this story.