Book Review
“He is my world and my world is him and without him there is no world.”
Every emotion felt has been documented in some way or other. Be it love, anger, jealously, or heartbreak. Now imagine living in a parallel world where love is a disease. Where parents aren’t allowed to hold their children. Where the food is rationed and boys and girls are not allowed to interact. Welcome to the world of Lena Haloway, where amor deliria nervosa(or love) is the most deadly disease of all. All citizens of Portland are obligated to undergo a procedure called ‘The Cure’. After the process, the individuals are incapable of feeling strong emotions like love. They live under severe rules and breaking them could result in a penalty as brutal as death.
“Find the things that matter, and hold on to them, and fight for them, and refuse to let them go.”
Lena never had it easygoing. Her father passed away when she was an infant while her mother, infected by deliria committed suicide. Now she lives with her aunt in Maine, counting the days until she’d be eligible for the cure. Lena is scared and devastated when she finds herself falling for a boy from the wilds, Alex, who’s living under the government’s radar. Lena spent 18 cautious years but now, is she infected by amor deliria nervosa?
Lauren Oliver sure did wonders with this novel. I was overwhelmed by the idea of love as a disease. It’s crazy how beautifully the symptoms of love and heartbreak were described. And then falling in love with someone and embracing the roller coaster journey was surreal.
“I said, I prefer the ocean when it’s gray. Or not really gray. A pale, in-between color. It reminds me of waiting for something good to happen.”
Just like Lena, the readers fall in love with Alex too. He had great personal charisma. The uttermost respect he had for Lena is not something you come across every day. Delirium was a nail-bitter towards the end and leaves you craving for the sequel. It was a powerful, heart-wrenching, shocking, and real page-turner. Words are inadequate to describe the overwhelming feeling accompanied by each page. This book is a must-read and definitely a must-own and one of my favorites.
It’s a solid 5/5
