Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release date: February 1st 2011
Pages: 441
Genre: YA; dystopian
Source: Bought
Add to Goodreads | Purchase from Amazon

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.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I just love the whole idea for this book. The idea of considering love a disease that must be cured is genius - such a unique way of looking at it. That, combined with all the glowing reviews, and the fact that Lauren Oliver's debut, Before I Fall, is absolutely amazing, meant that my expectations for Delirium were through the roof. And for once, my expectations were met!


The unique premise fascinated me throughout the book. Even though the book is mainly Lena's story, the plot is perfectly balanced with interesting world-building that really made me think. I loved the insight we got into this world with the help of the little snippets of The Book of Shhh. All these references and the way they seemed to rewrite history provided a unique worldview that fascinated me as a reader.


I loved our main character, Lena. One of the reasons I don't read dystopian books too often - well, I've been reading quite a few lately, but I don't usually read a lot of them - is that I cannot seem to connect with the MCs. MCs in the dystopian genre always seem to be so heroic and special; they're the one who saves the world. But I want MCs who are normal - easy to relate to, and not someone who's braver and stronger than I could ever imagine anyone real being. And Lena, for once, is easy to relate to. Some might complain that she's boring, but I loved her. The way she sees the world is realistic, considering her background, growing up in this world and learning about love the way she did. Often, I find that in dystopians, the MC tends to question the government too quickly to be realistic, but in Delirium, the development is gradual, which I really appreciated.


Delirium is a lot closer to contemporary than most dystopians I've read. There's not too much action - it's just about Lena's story and the world she lives in. That might be a problem for some people, maybe people who read more paranormal and dystopian and whatnot, but for a lover of contemps like me, that's perfect. And in the end, we get our fair share of action - leaving me dying to read Pandemonium.


I didn't love the romance at first - I found the set-up a little strange, and didn't really get Alex's immediate attraction to Lena. But once the two of them get to know each other, I loved them together! They have such great chemistry, and seeing them struggle to be together in a world like this was fascinating to read about.


I loved Lauren Oliver's writing in Before I Fall, and I liked it in Delirium, too, but I think the descriptive style fits a little better to contemporary than to dystopian. When I read contemps, I look for descriptive, vivid, emotional writing like Lauren Oliver's, but for a dystopian, I think a little less details wouldn't have hurt, since the beginning is a little slow.


Still, I really liked Delirium. It's one of those books you can just get lost in - I almost missed my stop when I was reading this book on the bus because I was so inmersed in the story. I will definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy!

What do you think would happen in a world without love? How terrible would the consequences be? Are there also postive sides to an order like that?