Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Genre: Fantasy, Realism
Published: 2011
Age: 13+
Synopsis: From the acclaimed author of "Before I Fall" comes her powerful second novel, a stunning tale of star-crossed romance, set in a world where love is forbidden. Lena Haloway has always accepted the government's decree that love is a disease that must be eradicated--but then she meets Alex.
Review: Oliver's follow-up to her smash debut, Before I Fall (2010), is another deft blend of realism and fantasy. The hook is irresistible: it's the near future, a time when love has long since been identified as a disease called amor deliria nervosa, and 17-year-old Lena is 95 days away from the operation that everyone gets to cure themselves. Can you feel the swoon coming? Enter Alex, a rakish daredevil who, as it turns out, is one of the Invalids a tribe of uncured who live on the lam in the surrounding wilderness. With the clock ticking down to her surgery, Lena is drawn into Alex's world, one of passion and freedom, while her emotionally castrated family members hope to turn her into yet another complacent zombie. Oliver's masterstroke is making a strong case for love as disease: the anxiety, depression, insomnia, and impulsive behavior of the smitten do smack of infirmity. The story bogs down as it revels in romance Alex is standard-issue perfection but the book never loses its A Clockwork Orange-style bite regarding safety versus choice. -Booklist
If you're intrigued, don't forget to check our library's catalog for this book!
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