Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Review)

 

Genre:	YA, Dystopia
Publication Date:	April 2, 2012
Pages:	441
Published By:	Harper Collins
Series	Delirium #1
Review copy:	Purchased

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In an alternate United States, love has been declared a dangerous disease, and the government forces everyone who reaches eighteen to have a procedure called the Cure. Living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Portland, Maine, Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. She watched love destroy her mother and isn't about to make the same mistake.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena meets enigmatic Alex, a boy from the Wilds who lives under the government's radar. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?

  The deadliest of all deadly things:  It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

  And then i'm frightened.  That's how it starts.  Even if he is cured, even if he is safe   the fact is, I'm not safe, and this is how it starts.

  Gracie's life fell apart because of a single word: sympathizer.

  My world exploded because of a different word: suicide.

  Correction: That was the first time my world exploded.

  Take it from me: If you hear the past speaking to you, feel it tugging at your back and running its fingers up your spine, the best thing to do   the only thing   is run.

  Love: a single word, a wispy thing, a word no bigger or longer than an edge.  That's what it is: an edge; a razor.  It draws up through the center of your life, cutting everything in two.  Before and after.  The rest of the world falls away on either side.

  What a beautifully and wholly original read.  I can't believe that it sat on my shelves as long as it has because I enjoyed every last moment.  This book is so much more than a pretty cover with an intriguing synopsis and I loved every minute of it.  I think in a way I enjoyed this more because of the length of time I waited to read it.  The hype had died down and I had nothing but my own thoughts and opinions going in, giving me a better chance not to consider any possibilities of being let down.  There was so much to enjoy that I'm not honestly sure how I'm going to pack it into one review, but I will try.

  I think a part of me had expected the plot to go roughly like it did, but there was also a few really good surprises along the way.  It's more about the twist and turns and the gradual development for me than anything when it comes to plot in dystopia reads.  There is always a general expectation from the synopsis when opening the pages, but it's how the author executes it that matters.  There was a great original development of Lena, her world and why she was the way she was.  There was something about the consistent pace in the way things were set up that slowed and yet carried pace throughout the rest of the read.  My attention never wavered and  the picture only became more vivid, more movie like as I read on.  I guess you could say that the pacing was damn near perfect.

  Lena wasn't the rebel right from the start.  She wasn't the girl that questioned how things were done, or really looked at anything beyond what she was told.  Heck, she did everything in her power to be the model citizen because her family had carved a name that made her constantly have to worry.  I think that I didn't form a connection in the start but I did find myself understanding her.  In a world with so little control actually allowed to you and such swift and potentially deadly measures taken against those that may have 'the disease', I could understand her.  No one wants to live life being judged by their family and their actions, but more so no one wants to risk the little choice they have being taken away by questioning.  Though I will admit that something wonderful happened when Lena made the choice to question things.  Made the leap into not having a few choices picked out for her but seeing that there is a choice beyond everything she has been taught to believe is true.  Honestly, I think I could go on and on about Lena and her development but to cut it short, she had spectacular and clear development.

  I think with the synopsis it was fairly obvious that there would be some sort of romance.  Alex was both what I had expected and not.  When thinking about it he really was just what Lena needed to snap out of the haze that she lived in.  When thinking about it to write this, I can't say if actually adored him but I loved what he did for Lena and that it wasn't rushed.  That is what made the romance for me in this.  It wasn't rushed, it was paced really well making it almost perfect.  Of course it wasn't perfect because they live in a world where love is a disease and that isn't a thought that disappears overnight.  No, it took time to figure out if what Lena felt was a disease, or if it was something that was worth any loss.  This isn't something that happens overnight and Alex had to jump through a lot of hoops to even get Lena to take a chance, take a look past what had always been drilled into her.

  I embraced this story.  Each page, every word, every turn became more real and pulled me in that much more.  It's hard to say what exactly drew me in to start but I know by the end that between character development, and perfect pacing that I would be hooked.  This is one of those books that you sit and simply find yourself lost withing the pages, routing for characters to figure out a better way.  I know many people feel that dystopia novels have a pattern an expectation, and I guess all of the little things are there that are expected but there are some wonderfully original points throughout the read.  I know I am late to the punch in reading these books but I can say after reading just this one that I regret not picking them up sooner.  If you enjoy a good dystopia read I can recommend this one without a single hesitation.  Lauren Oliver has created an addiction for me with this one.