Lauren Oliver’s “Delirium” a Mixed Bag

Delirium is a good book to read if you are the type of person who is a sucker for a rebellious love story, especially the ones like Romeo and Juliet.

Lauren Oliver’s Delirium provides a futuristic view at dystopian America. In the book, scientists have conjured up a cure for love and all other emotions. At this time, people are categorized into three sorts: the cured, the invalids, and the uncured. People over the age of 18 are deemed “cured.” The “invalids” are the individuals who choose not to get cured or do not believe in what the government is doing.  The “uncured” are youngsters under the age of eighteen.

The people of America are to follow the “Book of Shhh,” which is a type of Bible to the society. “The Book of Shhh” explains that Amor Deliria Nervosa—a.k.a., love—Is the most deadly disease, and it is a symptom of the delirium.

Proverb 42 of “The Book of Shh” claims that “the most dangerous sicknesses are those that make us believe we are well.“

The entire book focuses on a girl named Lena, who is 90 days away from her 18^th birthday. She is excited to finally be cured, of course. Until she meets Alex, her “cured” rebel.

Without even reading the book, you can already tell that this tale is going to involve a love story. The book does have a good plot, and the way the author carries it out is well executed. The mindset of the government in the book makes a reader definitely reconsider the future state of American life.

Unfortunately, the book has an infuriating twist; just when you think everything is going to end happily, the plot turns around and ends disastrously. The book is a good read, but then the author makes the end of the book depressing and difficult to finish.

Although the ending is aggravating, this book is still worth the look.