Delirium

For the independent reading, my book of choice was Delirium. Delirium was written by Lauren Oliver and was published on January 1, 2011. The book has two sequels; Pandemonium and Requiem. The story is about seventeen-year old Lena Holoway does the unthinkable by falling in love in a society where love is considered as a deadly disease. I thought the
In the story the government considers love or amor deliria nervosa as a deadly disease. A surgical cure has been developed that was mandatory to every citizen at the of 18 or above. However, mere months before her scheduled procedure Lena meets Alex and immediately falls for him. Later on, Alex tries to convince Lena to escape to the wilds permanently with him but she is afraid to leave her family behind. Alex tells her that her mother whom she thought was dead was still alive and that she was locked in the government prison, Crypts. Lena has thought that her whole childhood was a lie and wanted to leave to the wilds with Alex. The main characters are Lena Haloway and Alex Sheathes. Lena grew up in a society where the government controls everything, as a result she was scared of anything that was out of the ordinary. After meeting Alex her fear of the government and breaking the law slowly started to fade away. Alex is the guy who Lena falls in love with. He was born in the wilds as an invalid. He pretends to be cured in order to live in the city undetected by the authorities.
Alex was portrayed as a handsome and passionate guy, who deeply cared and loved lena. Hana was Lena’s trusted best friend who knew about Lena and Alex’s secret relationship. Lena described her as being the most beautiful girl in all the city. Other characters in the book are aunt Carol, uncle William, Rachel, Grace and e.t.c. The story takes place in Portland, Maine where the government had put up an electric fence all around the borders to separate the wilds from the city. One of the major themes in the story is independence vs. security. Independency is the state of being able to be on your own without no guidance from others. Security is the condition of being protected and shielded from danger by others. Throughout the story we see the main characters struggling to make decision in picking their freedom or the safety guaranteed by the government. On one had the wilds is assumed to be a bad place where the invalids and sympathizers once lived and and died because of their independency. On the other hand their is the city which is suppose to be a safe haven to the cured as long as they obeyed the government. Eventually they both picked independency when they decided to run away to the wilds. " And before I can think what I'm doing, or the two story drop to the street below, I'm swinging out of the window and letting go, the air sweeping me up like an embrace so for a moment my heart sings again and I think I'm flying" (Oliver, 431). If Lena had stayed she would have been safe under the protection of the government but instead she jumps out the window to run into the wilds with Alex. " Hana doesn't want to give up this life, this place: the only home we've ever known. Of course, she has a life here: family, a future, good match" (Oliver, 392). Unlike Lena Hana choses security because she rather be safe with no rights than running to the wilds to risk her life. The theme of independence vs. security is shown throughout the book through the decision and action of the characters. O
I like this book because it taught me to fight for someone I love.
For example, at the end of the book Alex gave himself up so Lena can escape into the wilds. Furthermore, I like how Lena’s and Alex’s relationship enables them to evolve together. Alex is young, he is generous and moral and brave; and that through his love, Lena is able to develop her own moral compass, her own values and courage. Lastly I liked the suspense that grew with every chapter. Normally when I read books, I easily get bored but with Delirium I couldn’t stop reading.
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Personally I thought the book was well-written. I don’t think any improvements should be made regarding the story or the way it was written. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading dystopian romance novels.