Delirium

Book Author: Lauren Oliver

Delirium Trilogy

Delightful Narration + Adventurous Cautionary Tale of a Futuristic World Without Love

Overall

Performance

Story

Delirium is a story of the United States in a hypothetical future where scientists have cured love. In this world love is seen as a delirium, a mind-poison, and something to be feared. Men and women are segregated. The USA has borders reminiscent of the German Holocaust or the Berlin wall. Everyone is a prisoner. The procedure is required and at first the lead character is looking forward to it.

"The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't." Love, also known as Delirium.

Angst and Emotionality of First Love

This first book reminds me of a few other stories. Delirium reminds me of the books: Matched, The Giver, Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, The Selection, Uglies (Pretties), Cinder, Unravel Me, V for Vendetta, and Shatter Me.

I adore this book. The series, so far, has me on edge. I enjoy the random quotes, the inspirational feel, and the sad love story. This is a teen book, but is interesting for adults too. Everyone can learn something from this story.

“You can build walls all the way to the sky and I will find a way to fly above them. You can try to pin me down with a hundred thousand arms, but I will find a way to resist. And there are many of us out there, more than you think. People who refuse to stop believing. People who refuse to come to earth. People who love in a world without walls, people who love into hate, into refusal, against hope, and without fear.
I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.”

Publishers Summary

"Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't." Lauren Oliver astonished readers with her stunning debut, Before I Fall. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it "raw, emotional, and, at times, beautiful. An end as brave as it is heartbreaking." Her much-awaited second novel fulfills her promise as an exceptionally talented and versatile writer.

Also included is a sneak listen to the first chapter of the next book in the series (on Audible). Enjoy!

Similar Books

Cinder

The Lunar Chronicles starts off with a book called Cinder. This is a futuristic dystopian view of Cinderella in reverse. A young girl who loses everything in the worst ways possible only to discover things she never knew about herself and make lots of new friends against impossible odds on a mission to save two worlds.

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Matched

This book reminds me a lot of the book, "The Giver" about a boy in a rigidly controlled society of structure and health. If you enjoy this book I recommend reading that one. You will not have ruined either book for yourself if you've already read one of them. They are completely different authors with very different endings just similar plots.

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The Selection

This is part of a series. "The One" is a compelling drama. Think futuristic version of "The Bachelor" that's what this is. It's a young adult fictional love story.

The book has a hardened King, a hopeful set of wannabe princesses, and a possessive set of suitors. America is the main character, she is obtuse, exhausting, secretive, rude, an idealist, and full of head games. Her secrets have secrets. It's annoying.

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