Since this is the third book, I wouldn't be spoiling anything by saying that Alex is back! I kinda knew that he would somehow turn out to be alive. There has got to be a twist. At the end of Delirium I was hoping that he is alive, I wanted him to be. I thought that he and Lena are good together. He was the one who opened Lena's eyes to the reality that being cured from deliria is not the solution.
But when Julian got into the picture in Pandemonium, I was rooting for him. I still am. I think he is a better fit for Lena. With everything that had happened in the second book, I think that Julian has proven himself. It is obvious that he cares for Lena. And I really liked him more in this book. More about that later.
I just have to say that I like how this book was written. The chapters are alternately entitled "Lena" and "Hana." The readers have finally gotten a glimpse of what Hana's life had been since Lena left and what is going on in her life. I like Hana. I hope that she could have crossed over just like Lena. She was actually the one who was a bit rebellious and questioning when they were nearing graduation.
You would think that Hana's life would be perfect since she got cured and all and is paired to what they would consider a great catch. I feel sorry for her. I feel that she's trapped into some kind of a prison where everybody expects her to behave in a socially acceptable way. Not only that, her "prince charming" is not all how he is painted out to be.
What made me like Julian more in this book was how he handled the whole situation of Alex getting into the picture. It is quite obvious that Lena is affected seeing Alex once again and it was apparent that she still has feelings for him. Other guys would have forced Lena to make a choice or would have pushed her away. But Julian was patient and understanding. He didn't force the topic on Lena. He was there when Lena needs him. He was there to stay. I wish Lena chooses him in the end.
I think that character of his is what made me like Julian. I know that he is someone that I can depend on. Someone that would not leave me hanging when things get difficult. Someone who can be relied on. I think that we have to surround ourselves with people that will stick with us through the good times and especially through the bad ones, even if they are only a handful. At least you know that you will never be alone.
I like the series. I recommend this to my friends and to whoever who is a bookworm like me. I just felt that Ms. Oliver could have written an epilogue. I would really want to know how everyone is doing. Maybe she would want to the readers to picture how their favorite characters have been. Or maybe she would explore this story in the future.
"That's what people do in a disordered world, a world of freedom and choice: They leave when they want. They disappear, they come back, they leave again. And you are left to pick up the pieces on your own." - Lena
Rating: 4 STARS
After reading Delirium, of course the next logical thing for me to do is start on the next book immediately.
I like how this novel is written because the author did not start from the time Lena crossing the fence. The book began with Lena already in a school in New York. What I like about how Lauren Oliver told the story is she did some sort of parallel storytelling, the chapters would alternate with what is going on with Lena at present time and her ordeal after she crossed the fence.
After crossing, Lena managed to stay alive until she was found by a couple of people who brought her to what they call their home base. These people have managed to establish a small community and survive in the Wilds with limited resources. They are provided supplies by those living inside the border. They have organized a system amongst themselves. Everyone has to earn his or her keep doing whatever chores you are capable of such as washing the dishes, cleaning, cooking. You have to share something for the community.
The book, for me, dwells on the relationship of one person to himself, to another, of the individual to the society and vice-versa. Being in the Wilds, Lena has learned to fight for her survival. She was deprived of the comforts she was used to, lost the people she cares for. However there is no room for self-pity in the Wilds so she was determined to toughen up in order to survive out there.
Like what I said about living in the Wilds, each has to contribute in his or her own way. In doing so, the community becomes and functions like a family. They learn to co-exist, depend on and trust each other in order to survive. I really like this line in the book: "I wonder if this is how people always get close: They heal each other's wounds; they repair the broken skin." Come to think of it, there is some truth to that. Friendships are forged when we are going through something and a shoulder to cry on is needed. Before you know it, the once stranger has become one of your closest friends or you have become closer with your friends.
Aside from the limited resources, another downside from living in the Wilds is that it is never safe. People who have crossed over will always be regarded as uncured, hence, unsafe. They will never feel secure. They will always be hunted, their "homes" destroyed. There is nothing permanent with the way they live since they have to move when winter comes or when their homestead is discovered. They have to always be on guard, alert and ready for the worst.
I guess freedom has its price. Yes, those living in the Wilds are free from the constraints the society has implemented in order to have a deliria-free nation but at what expense? Living in the Wilds is not exactly a walk in the park. You must fend for yourself otherwise, death is a certainty. Actually, that is not really living but more like surviving in the Wilds.
Freedom certainly is not cheap. All around the world, wars have been fought in order for people to be free. Laws have been passed safeguarding our rights nonetheless even up to know we are still fighting for certain rights and freedom. Perhaps not from slavery or oppression but to be free from biases, bigotry, discrimination. Gays and lesbians are still fighting for their right to be accepted by society, to be respected just like any other human being. In some countries, women are still treated like second-class citizens. Our society is evolving, I just hope it's for the better.
"If you want something, if you take it for your own, you'll always be taking it from someone else. That's a rule too. And something must die so that others can live." - Raven
Rating: 5 STARS
I first read Lauren Oliver's novel Before I Fall and I loved it! So when I finished reading that book, I immediately started on this series. And I really liked it as well.
I like that she treated love as some disease that can be cured. That is something new to me and I found it interesting. Come to think of it, love may as well be a disease. It is something that we catch, some times even by surprise. Often, we spread it to others. It is something that affects us not just emotionally but physically and psychology as well, especially when we get heartbroken. There are times that love can drive people to do some thing that they won't normally do (it may be for the good or not), and on extreme cases it can drive people insane and can push one to even kill.
I guess that is where the author is coming from. Maybe she thought what if love is a disease that has a cure. Will that solve, more or less, most of the world's problems? Will there be finally be peace on Earth?
The main character of the novel is Lena or Magdelena. She is what they called, "uncured", because she has not had her cure for the disease yet. The cure is administered when one reaches 18 years old. Prior to that age, one would still feel deliria but it is not encouraged. Uncured boys and girls do not to the same school and do not often mingle. Interaction should be at the minimal.
Before graduating from high school, seniors take what they call the board exams for various subjects. These would assess ones strong suits and weakness and would match you to a school and a major. The evaluation is the final test. It helps them get paired (yes, your mate is arranged for you). Not that they wouldn't have a choice since after evaluation, a girl will be sent a list of four or five endorsed matches (so somehow, she gets a choice albeit very limited). "As much as possible [evaluators] try to avoid any huge disparities in intelligence, temperament, social background, and age." The one she will choose will eventually become her husband once she graduate from college. However, if the girl does not get passing marks on your boards, she gets "paired and married right out of high school."
Aside from the fact that people are paired and matched during Lena's time, the government also regulates what they watch, hear and read. The "LAMM or Library of Authorized Music and Movies" which I think is a really, really regulated version of iTunes. They have a "List of Authorized Entertainment" which is updated twice a year. If there is a LAMM, there is also a "LAB or Library of Approved Books". Books or stories that elicit strong emotions are prohibited such the works of Shakespeare and poetry.
Dominion, of course, does not stop there. In the novel the United States has closed its borders. Military personnel continually guard the borders. "No one can get it. No one goes out. Every sanctioned and approved community must also be contained within a border - that's the law - and all travel between communities requires official written consent of the municipal government, to be obtained six months in advance."
I find how she wrote the novel original because she was able to give a somewhat scientific name for love - amor deliria nervosa - which makes it sound like a real-life disease. Not only that, throughout the novel she would quote from The Book of Shhh, which is their bible in the novels. She even has her version of the tale of King Solomon and the mothers who were fighting over one baby.
I love this novel but I don't think I can live in a world like that. Everything - to the music that you listen to, the movies that you watch, the books that you read - is prescribed! Even the person you will marry is chosen for you. What you should do, how you would act is dictated to you.
Maybe this is my reaction because I cannot imagine living in a world like that. Because I am used to having choices. I can choose what to read, listen or watch whenever, wherever. I am free to love whomever I choose. I can enroll in a course of my own liking. In short, I am used to the liberties that we have that's why Lena's world is difficult to imagine. It would seem, looking from our perspective, hers is a lonely place to live in. Especially, if you are the type who doesn't want to be constrained by rules (like me), who will do whatever she wants, whenever she wants it. But maybe if that is the kind of world that you are accustomed to, the world that we have now would be a terrifying place to live in. From Lena's perspective, ours is a world where people kill one another over the slightest of reasons; there are wars; crime is everywhere. Which one would you want?
"Hate isn't the most dangerous thing. Indifference is." - Alex
Rating: 5 STARS
