As of late, I have been on a book-reading streak. Lately, I have found myself craving YA fiction for some fast-paced entertainment as opposed to New Adult fiction or generally books with complex structures and storylines, which I had been reading avidly for some time. For a bit of a brain break and for the sake of a palate cleanser, I decided to give Delirium by Lauren Oliver a go. This is the first book in a trilogy. I have some level of trust in this author as I have read another one of her works, Before I Fall, which is now one of my favorite books.
Delirium is a classic dystopian YA fiction novel set in a tolitarian future United States. While many other YA books fall into this genre, Delirium stood out in its own way. In this future society, Love and all deeper emotions in general, have been deemed a disease. The rationale is that Love makes people irrational, gives them bouts of euphoria, bouts of depression, impairs judgement, and can lead to physical symptoms such as altered appetite, moodiness, anxiety, and dire consequences such as suicide. The reasoning presented in the book is explained in such a way that it provides plausibility to why people in the future would consider Love a neurological disease.
The other reason behind all of this is that the government wants a society of flat, emotionless, robotic workers that can serve the government without thought or objection. Majority of the people are poor. Resources such as electricity are scarce and only the rich can afford cars and technological appliances. The internet, media, books, and music, is heavily censored and content must be approved by the government. Thinking outside of the box is highly discouraged. Officers patrol the streets and arrest anyone seen or even accused of being overly affectionate or emotional.
At the age of 18, people are heavily assessed and interviewed in the labs on evaluation day. Shortly after they are matched with someone meant to be their future spouse and soon after they have to undergo lobotomy to remove the emotion centers of the brain to become "Cured." After the surgery, many lose sentimental memories and have diminished emotions.
The main character Lena, is fast approaching 18. She is eager to undergo the surgery as her aunt and everyone else has told her that her mom committed suicide because of Love and her father died being part of the Resistance movement. This is until, Lena's best friend Hana starts accessing content online illegally, and starts learning about the façade and the lies the government has fabricated. Hana starts to go to secret parties, where both boys and girls are invited. Segregation of the genders before being "Cured" is mandatory.
The story really turns gears when Lena falls in love with a boy named Alex, who is an Invalid. An Invalid is a person who lives on the other side of the electrical fences in the Wild. An Invalid rejects all notions of this controlled society and rebels against the government. Lena starts to share Hana's perspective. As her relationship deepens with Alex, she begins to question everything they had been told. Through this forbidden love, Lena changes her mind and no longer wants to undergo the mandatory surgery or even live in such a stifling society. She also learns new details about her parents' past that changes everything she thought she knew.
The story gets more and more intense as the book goes on. I will not give any spoilers as it will ruin the last third of the book. Lauren Oliver has a great prose and seamless writing style. The story flows well, the world building was immersive, and the emotions and internal struggles the characters felt were tangible. The book also has segments of beautiful, thought-provoking prose, that touch on deep and complex speculations about love, conformity, emotions, and what it really means to be human. This is Oliver's specialty. Though her books are YA, there is a touch of maturity and deeper thought sprinkled throughout that truly makes her books standout against other YA novels. Her books deliver both an entertaining and gripping plot alongside poignant and thought-provoking segments that elevate the experience and lets the reader walk away with a heightened perspective.
With all its plus points, there are some critiques regarding this book. While the world-building and descriptions were flavorful and immersive, at points the book went into more detail about the setting than necessary. There were too many descriptions of specific streets and routes whenever Lena would go out for a run or bike ride. This would create patches of stagnation.
Another criticism is that, while Lena and even Hana's characters were fleshed out and brought to life, Alex's character mirrored a very typical YA love interest. He has such an interesting and unusual past as an Invalid that could have been brought in more. He could have been given more page time, more characterization, and in overall, a more immersive personality. Lena was thoroughly fleshed out and characterized to an extent. Even the best friend Hana was. There just needed to a bit more about Alex. Alex was truly brought to life when he showed Lena his home and life in the Wilds, when he read to her from forbidden books and camped with her under the stars.
In general, Alex and Lena's relationship needed a bit more detail, immersion, and color. They had some great moments though. As Lena is the narrator, we know her feelings and thoughts, which helped a lot. But a bit more special moments and relationship building would help the reader root for and feel attached to the pair. On the flipside, Lena and Hana's friendship was thoroughly elaborated, making their ups and downs feel tangible.
Most of the high stakes action is packed in the last third of the book which caps off with a suspenseful cliffhanger as this is the first book in a trilogy. There are some smaller high-stake situations sprinkled throughout the first half of the book as well. There could be more though, to break up the monotony at certain points. However, even in the book's stages of lull, it was an enjoyable read due to the author's writing style.
In overall, I'd give this book a 4/5 stars and I look forward to reading book 2 and book 3. I hope the story is carried well through them as the story holds a lot of potential. After, I read book 2 and 3, I'll probably make a blog post reviewing them as well.
Thank You for Reading!
-ISBAH XOXO
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