Delerium By Lauren Oliver
Delerium, the second part in a trilogy, is a story about forbidden love. It was first published in 2011. By then the first book had already been out for one year. Before I fall, as the first book is named, has been given 4 ½ stars by RT Book Reviews and they also nominated it for their 2010 ”Best Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy Novel”. Since the release of Delerium it has received a lot of mixed response by the readers.
You can see why the feelings around the book are blended. It is that kind of book you either love or hate. The idea of seeing love as a disease feels new and when Lena, the main character, falls in love with Alex in a city with zero tolerance of love, it makes you wonder how it possibly could end happily. The story of the book has a great contrast that makes you constantly torn between love and hate, happiness and sadness, tension and boredom.
Even though it seems impossible for the book to have a happy ending you can, through the whole book, feel an undertone of hope. The author also gives her descriptions weary beautifully. ”The butterflies are working their way up from my stomach into my head, making me feel dizzy, and I try to calm myself by imagining the ocean outside, its ragged breathing, the seagulls turning pinwheels in the sky.” (p. 17) is a perfect example of the poetic descriptions that is given to us.
Delirium is, as mentioned earlier, a part of a trilogy, but besides that there are also four midquels named Hana, Annabel, Raven and Alex. Those books are written so they are enacted in the same period of time as the original book. Since the character that has been given a book is such a big part of the trilogy it is fun to read more from a book you, hopefully, cannot put away once you have start reading it.
It is kind of funny how the people who are the closest to Lena tell her how life really should be, but in the end they never listened to their own opinions. Even though they have seen what the real disease is they chose to live their life as they have been told. That is what Lauren Oliver is trying to tell us with the book; sometimes we have to find our courage to break free and follow our heart to find happiness.
Elev SA13