Thursday, February 23, 2012

Delirium

          I read the novel, Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I decided to read it because I saw it in the Barnes and Noble Top 100. *Delirium is about a futuristic society where love is a disease. People get cured when they reach the age of eighteen. The disease is called amor deliria nervosa in the novel.

          One thing that I knew from the beginning was that the plot could easily be predicted. From the beginning, the reader knows that the main character, Lena, is going to fall in love with someone. It was predictable even though the beginning didn’t really hint at it but it was a given. Lena falls in love with Alex, who is supposed to have been cured.

          What I found interesting was the prospect of no love. The people that have become cured are more like robots while the other people, who have not been cured, seem like hippies. The other people, who live on the outskirts of society in make-shift houses where they can’t be found, are called Invalids. It is supposed to be hidden in the society that they even exist but people know. There is strife between both groups and they do not understand each other. The people can be divided into two separate sides, the cured and the uncured. Although one thing is sure for both sides, they all experience fear. The people who have become cured fear the people who have not. While the people, who have not been cured, both those who chose not to and those who are waiting, fear the cure.

          What I found interesting was that even though I knew that it was wrong and love is not a disease, I could still see their point of view. I felt that if there was some sort of balance between love and the cure then a lot of problems that accompanied both would not occur. If there was a balance, it could be possible to feel love while not experiencing the problems that come with it. Although this could be what makes love, are all the emotions surrounding it even though that can cause stress. *Lena’s mother had committed suicide after getting the surgery two times before and about to get it again. It did not work on her and she was still able to love although she would have to hide it so she would not be taken away. In the end, the reader learns that she did not actually commit suicide and was actually locked up with others who had disobeyed the government. A lot of diseases supposedly come from love which actually makes sense the way it is presented. The Book of Shhh says that, “Instead people back then named other diseases-stress, heart disease, anxiety, depression, hypertension, insomnia, bipolar disorder- never realizing that these were, in fact, only symptoms that in the majority of cases could be traced back to the effects of amor deliria nervosa” (pg 6). The Book of Shhh is the book they follow which is also interesting because it implies that you do not talk about love and therefore your emotions or feelings. It is an appropriate book for a government that demands silence. The society is not even aloud to listen to music or poetry. I believe this is because music and poetry are ways to express yourself, to express your love of life.

          I would like to continue reading the series because I really enjoyed reading about it. Although it could be predictable it was thought provoking. The series is supposed to be a Trilogy and I already preordered Pandemonium. A good novel awaits me I am sure; I just have to be patient! J

           







* Spoiler Alert- I gave away a lot, Sorry!

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