Delirium

Delirium
by Lauren Oliver

What if love were a disease? There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it. Then, at last, they found the cure. Now, everything is different. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she'll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But then, with only ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable... (description from Amazon.com)

Lauren Oliver proves that not only is she a phenomenal wordsmith, but also a wonderful world builder. This dystopian world is so intriguing, so captivating, because it feels so possible. Set not too far in the future, the government has declared love, LOVE, a disease. To control love, and its people, the government has walled in cities, killed thousands of "infected," and perform authorized lobotomies on every citizen over the age of 18!

As the information is revealed, little by little, both Lena and readers are horrified. It is inconceivable that the feeling that we all strain to experience could be forbidden! When Lena meets Alex, readers can't help but root for them. The only flaw in this book is a minor tendency towards the end to dive into what I like to call, "Bella syndrome." The overly melodramatic, "What will I do without him..." Lena, though, decides to take action and go for what she wants.

As Oliver concludes the book, Lena proves her strength and as I teared up a little bit, I was grinning through my watering eyes and I am now anxiously waiting to see how Lena proceeds in the second Delirium book.

Full disclosure: Audio book reviewed for AudioFile Magazine