Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Wow. This was a great read! due out in February, Oliver creates a dystopia free of the disease of love. Each chapter is headed with quotes from the government-issued texts regarding science and religion (which have become one and the same), pamphlets on "The Cure" and the dangers of love.

The confined societies harks to a Hunger Games/Uglies-esque, divided communities. Strangely, at 18 all citizens receive the cure, ridding them of the ability to love; yet all citizens are "matched" with a mate and raise a nuclear family, living in the same house, maintaining a routine. Citizens are closely monitored, the fences electrified and no one allowed in or out. Excessive laughter, singing, hugging, coddling of children is looked down upon as manifested symptoms of the disease.

Olivier brings an interesting concept by painting love as a disease: increased heart rate, flushing, distraction, delusions, sweaty palms, sometimes faint, inability to focus, difficulty breathing, bouts of crying and depression, shirking responsibilities...It sounds legitimate, yet her descriptions aptly describe first love.

In a world where "Romeo and Juliet" is a cautionary tale, how does the main character cope with her deceased mother, who could not be cured despite three attempts...if she gets the cure, her memories will be gone....yet so will the pain. And there is also a boy...

The strength of the novel is the world building. Some of the character's narration is choppy and needs further development to feel more authentic. But overall this book presents a fascinating concept and follows it through to the end.

Books that are similar:

• The Giver by Lois Lowry


• Matched by Ally Condie


• Feed by MT Anderson


• Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld


• Skinned by Wasserman

Books that I am going to read over break:

• Matched by Ally Condie


• Evolution's darling by Scott Westerfeld


• Polymorph by Scott Westerfeld


• Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld


• Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare


• Boy Toy by Lyga


• This Book is Overdue by Marilyn Johnson

Books I HAVE ro read over break:

• The Outsiders


• I'll Get There. It Better be Worth the Trip.


• Jacob Have I Loved


• Annie on My Mind


• The Language of Goldfish


• The Planet of Junior Brown


• The Friends


• Annie John


• Remembering the Good Times


• A Separate Peace


• House on Mango Street


• (and some more)