Delirium by Lauren Oliver brings the Cure to Maine

Delirium

By Lauren Oliver

Publisher Harper Collins

Imprint Harper Teen  Excerpt Link

Release Date February 1, 2011

E-ARC made available by Publisher through Net Galley

Format: Hardcover; Pages: 448; $17.99; Ages: 14 and Up

Marketing Copy from Net Galley

A stunning novel, set in an alternate present in Portland, Maine.

Love has been declared a dangerous disease, and the government forces everyone who reaches eighteen to have a procedure called "the Cure," in Lauren Oliver's stunning second novel, DELIRIUM. Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. She will be evaluated by the government, which will choose her husband for her. But then she meets Alex, a boy from the Wilds who is living under the government's radar, and she falls in love, threatening both their lives.

In this world, affection is prohibited. Touching and hugging are suspicious behaviors, even among family members. But despite government obtrusiveness, people find ways to connect and to be together. Hana finds like-minded people through embedded links on websites. And after meeting Alex, Lena understands that an emotional connection to another person is something she's always been missing—and now it's something she won't live without.

from Harper Teen

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.

My Take

First, I have to say that Oliver is a major new voice in American literature, not just dystopian or fantasy literature, but the kind of art that wins Pulitzers. As I read, I thought of Roth and Atwood. The writing is excellent, beautiful. The plot is astounding as a scalpel with which she slices in to the heart of humanity. She speaks of evil like Hitler, like Rwanda, and she brings it to my home, actually to where I live, Maine. I have to doubt whether I can do her writing justice.

I cannot imagine a concept more foreign to a contemporary denizen of Western Civilization than Love being declared a disease, amor deliria nervosa, and all of society re-ordered upon this premise. A Handmaids Tale meets Strange New World meets the Berlin Wall; Lauren Oliver’s new novel, Delirium, is haunting, poignant, cautionary and beautifully written.

One need only look into the twentieth century to understand how such a thing could happen. But to imagine Love, our highest ideal, being seen as the root of all evil, of sickness, death, danger and despair. To imagine this disease requires all citizens to live within a proscribed set of rules controlling social interactions and, on turning eighteen to be forced to have a sort of lobotomy that removes the ability to feel almost anything—not just romantic love, but platonic love and affection and parental love too, plus, apparently, interest in anything at all,  well that is just something that is nearly impossible for me, and I suspect, most, to wrap our mental constructs around. And, to have a society totally restrictive in all ways from what you read, to music, and to whom you marry, would be like having all the sun, laughter and joy in life go out the window. The procedure even regulates what one thinks and feels.,

For me as a resident of the area where the story occurs it is a terribly poignant tale that made me sad, teary, depressed and nauseated all at once. It was hard for me to read it because there seemed, for most of the book, to be no hope, no upside.

The main character is Lena, about to graduate from high school, turn 18 and be evaluated, cured and told what to do and who to marry. She has a tragic past and because of this is an obedient citizen. It is also because of her past, and some friends, that she begins to question authority. Lena is sweet and fierce in both of her political stances. She is afraid, and brave and strong. Her friend Hana is rich, beautiful, cavalier and a bit of a loose cannon, and the young man she meets, Alex, is loving, caring, loyal, and handsome.

Oliver apparently lived in the Greater Portland region of Maine aat least for a part of the time while she was writing the book and her research and attention to detail is outstanding. I have lived in one of the neighborhoods she uses and know of a rope swing where she says it should be. While the blurb above says it is a contemporary, alternate reality, I felt it was somewhat in the future as gas is so costly that cars have become lawn ornaments for all but the very rich. Actually, a car as a lawn ornament is rather common in rural Maine but not in the City of Portland.

Seeing Maine, a place I absolutely adore (although not so much at this moment because it is totally freezing), become this hellish, abusive, humiliating, soul-sucking place perhaps makes me think harder about this than I would have if I didn’t live here.  Maine is beautiful, real, human, and the Portland area is remarkably tolerant. But, I don’t think I’ll ever see it the same way. I do wish animal cruelty hadn’t been part of the story, as I can’t even watch cartoons in which fictitious species are superficially hurt.

This book is rated as appropriate for 14 and up, but I just don’t know many kids who would not be deeply affected by it.   I don’t mean affected in just a thoughtful or thought-provoking way but in a depression-inducing way. I would not have a 14-17 year-old read this without reading it first and making a judgment about his/her maturity. If it were merely horror, or violent in the way of thrillers, I think it would be easier for a teen to read. But it goes beyond mere physical violence to truly touch the core of the type of cruelty and evil with which humans can treat each other; the worst of us. It is scary, and Oliver’s talent makes the fear Lena feels tangible. Whether a 14 year–old is ready to confront this is ultimately up to his or her parent. There are minor sexual overtones and some mention of nudity but no worse than teens see on HBO.

While this book is brilliant and speaks to the indomitable spirit of humanity and the ability for love and freedom to overcome tyranny, it is not without brutal sacrifice and terrible grief. The victory of the spirit in the bleak circumstances of this society is worthwhile, and that, along with its author’s virtuosity, make it a worthy, and thoughtful experience for readers with a degree of maturity.

Writing, plot and character development are superb, seriously, Oliver’s writing is amazing and destined to become a major voice in American Literature. I think the publisher made the rating too young for the material.