Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium
Book #: 1
Release Date: Feb. 1, 2011
Page #: 441
My Rating: 5

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.


But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love

I have just finished Delirium, and at the moment I feel like Bella after Edward leaves in New Moon. Numb and in shock. This book is incredible. End of story. I'm not even sure how to put my thoughts about it together into proper sentences. All I can think is: I need the next book!

The plot is extremely intriguing, and had my interested from the start. A world where the government takes love away. Where love is a disease where people shudder at the thought and flinch when someone who hasn't been "cured" comes close. It all seems incomprehensible to us, but for Lena, it's been that way for her entire life. Until she meets Alex. In the beginning, the way Lena thought of love, and longed for her "procedure" didn't make sense to me. Yet, as the story progressed, and Lena's story unravelled, I began to understand the way she felt, the way they had made her feel.

My favourite part about the story was Alex, and the way he changed Lena. To me, he was the tool Lena used to puncture the wall surrounding her. He tore away the lies that had built up throughout her life. At first, I didn't him too much. I found Alex to be a little strange, but as I got to know him more, he became my favourite character.

As for the other characters. The ones who had be "cured", it was hard to feel for them, but I had to think that they have no idea that their life is wrong. They had been taught since birth that choice and love was bad. The government had taken away their choice, banning music, poetry, books, movies that they felt showed love in a good light.

I have not read Lauren Oliver's other novel, Before I Fall, but I definitely plan on it after reading Delirium. The writing in Delirium was exquisite, and caused me to lose many hours of sleep, reading until my eyes would burn. I can't wait for the next one. I just hope it doesn't take too long, before I die of Alex-withdrawal and the cliffhanger consumes me.