Review - 'Requiem' by Lauren Oliver (Delirium series)

I've just finished reading Requiem, the final book in the young adult series, Delirium, by Lauren Oliver. The main character, Lena, lives in a world where love is considered a disease—the deliria—the source of all unhappiness and negative emotions, including anger, pain, jealously and hate. Scientists have found a cure for love, and the controlling government seeks to eradicate the deliria by forcing all citizens to be cured at age 18. Despite looking forward to being 'cured', Lena does the unthinkable and falls in love before she can undergo the procedure, and then must deal with the dangers she faces.

  "this story is about the freedom to love—not just romantically, but across friendship and familial relationships..." 

Unlike some trilogies that start out strongly and then waver somewhat, Delirium is a series that gains pace and builds tension as it progresses. The storyline moves in unexpected ways, and there are unexpected cliff-hangers at the end of the first two books, Delirium and Pandemonium, that raise the stakes. Lena, Hana, Alex and Julian, as well as many of the supporting characters, are thoughtfully developed and engage the reader at an emotional level. This story is about the freedom to love—not just romantically, but across friendship and familial relationships, as well.  (The romantic relationships are subtly treated; heartfelt without venturing into detail.)   

Set against a controlling dystopian society, those who want to live freely are forced to fight against eradication. In this final novel, Requiem, Lauren Oliver adds the narrative voice of Lena's friend, Hana. Hana's contrasting perspective proves critical to the success of the series conclusion, allowing us to follow events both inside and outside the government's jurisdiction, and enabling the story to build steadily and convincingly to its ultimate ending. 

Oliver is a talented writer, able to describe elements of nature or the bleakness of the city in ways that create a sharp picture in the mind’s eye, without detracting from the momentum of the novel.  A disused parking structure takes on a new form when portrayed as a ‘massive cement honeycomb structure’, while my favourite image is the one Oliver gives to a landscape of night wilderness highlighted by a ‘slalom of trees’;  immediately I could picture the bare winter trees, staggered and stark in the moonlight.

The controlled nature of the walled and ‘protected’ cities, is contrasted with the untamed wilderness that while beautiful, is difficult to survive in; and here lies the crux of the message: the freedom to choose does not create a fairy-tale world of 'happily ever after'. The main characters are confronted with the painful dilemma of their choices, reinforcing one of the central themes of the series: the right to choose your path in life doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily make the right choices—or be happy all the time. Or as Hana puts it, ‘You know you can’t be happy unless you’re unhappy sometimes, right?’ Right.

Cereal Readers gives the 'Delirium' series five spoons. A well-paced and thought-provoking read that doesn't shy from the difficult issues of choice and love. 

Dystopian Fiction - A Perfect Fit for Young Adults

Dystopian fiction is a compelling genre which has grown considerably in popularity with young adult series writers and readers. Prime examples include The Hunger Games, Chaos Walking, Divergent and Delirium. The strong and imaginative writing in this genre is not the only reason for the success of these novels: the themes of the dystopian world and the challenges faced by the central characters make it a genre brilliantly suited for young adults.

The dystopian genre dovetails perfectly with the interests and issues young adults face in real life, as they - on the brink of inheriting a world they may be critical of - must determine their own path. How much is true in what they've been told to believe? What will they accept or reject? What values are they willing to fight for? With whom does their love and allegiance lie? There is also history and mystery in each skewed dystopian world: Why did this society develop as it did? Why are resources scarce? Who holds the power? And, most importantly, what can be done about the society's flaws?

In dystopian fiction, the society or some particular element of life has become exaggerated to an extreme, often because those in power have decided that life will be "better" without particular freedoms, and control is usually the central backbone of the society. The drastic change to the world order has sometimes been facilitated by an event such as disease, war, or an environmental factor.

Such is the case with the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness. The defining element of the society is a disease which results in everyone being able to hear each other's thoughts. The ensuring "noise" conveyed in the novels creates a palpable tension, and provides a backdrop for exploring truth and lies, manipulation and control. How can there possibly be secrets when everyone can hear your thoughts? How many ways are there for people to hide their thoughts? The first novel in the series also explores what it means to come of age as a man in this society; whether to accept violence as a rite of passage - and hence become part of the oppression - or to paradoxically choose independence by relinquishing control. Ness beautifully centres this dilemma in his depiction of the knife in the first novel The Knife of Never Letting Go - a knife that represents both a physical and metaphorical knife - as the main character, Todd, wrestles with what it will mean if he is ultimately to use his knife.

The disease in Delirium by Lauren Oliver is of a far different nature; rather than overriding noise, there is an overriding of love. Love is ascribed all the ills of the world: pain, anger, jealousy, and hatred. A "cure" has been perfected and all eighteen year olds must undergo this procedure which nullifies their emotions. Poignantly, the effect relates not only to romantic love, but to love shown to children, relatives and friends. Life continues in a fog that emotions are unable penetrate. Oliver cleverly frames each chapter with snippets of literature, science, and biblical references, recast as extracts from the governmental literature of indoctrination; in doing so, she demonstrates the sinister power of manipulation when history is rewritten in the hands of the victors. The main character, Lena, finds that although she has yearned for relief from the heartache of losing her mother, the value of her life can't be measured by the absence of pain. Love - with all its gamut of emotions - is worth fighting for.

Mortal combat is the central story-line in Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games, yet the real fight is internal for Katniss, Peeta and Gale; they fight to stay true to their own values and beliefs, while immersed in an impossibly hostile and all-pervasively controlled environment. Despite being forced to make undeniably difficult decisions, they use intelligence and courage to outwit external forces and maintain an honesty and strength of character.

The heroes and heroines of these dystopian novels are written with considerable sensitivity and appealing narrative voice, their characters developing over the course of the series. They are not without flaws; they are not super-heroes; and they are not without conflicting loyalties. In Veronica Roth's Divergent, Tris is confused about her choices and allegiances. She faces the classic dilemma of youth when forced to choose between staying with who and what she knows, or following her yearning to try another path; forge new bonds. Gradually, she recognises that she, and others, are more complicated than initial traits might indicate. No one can really be 'classified by type', in reality being a complex mix of qualities.

The characters in these dystopian novels are real, likeable, and courageous as they face challenges and their own fears. They live in interesting, thought-provoking and brutal worlds, where choices are not clear-cut and they must grow up quickly and choose a path. The journey with them is thoroughly enjoyable.

Marielle [September 14, 2012]