Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Ninety-five days, and then I’ll be safe. 

I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. 

I want to get it over with. 

It’s hard to be patient. 

It’s hard not to be afraid while I’m still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn’t touched me yet.

Still, I worry. 

They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. 

The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.

Lauren Oliver astonished readers with her stunning debut, Before I Fall. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it “raw, emotional, and, at times, beautiful. An end as brave as it is heartbreaking.” Her much-awaited second novel fulfills her promise as an exceptionally talented and versatile writer.

Review:

Last year I read Lauren Oliver’s magnificent and breathtaking debut novel, Before I Fall, and this year yet another Oliver book has fully captivated me. This time it was Delirium, a new addition to dystopian lit. Fascinating, intense, and romantic, Delirium is a book you simply cannot miss.

Delirium takes place in a startling future, one where love does not exist past your eighteenth birthday, as not only is love now a horrifying disease, but also one that must be removed no matter what the consequence. For Lena, this has never been a big deal. She actually eagerly anticipates the time in which she will have the procedure, counting down the days. However, everything changes when she meets Alex. With Alex, she begins to live, see a new way of life, and most importantly, she starts to fall in love. However, with the day of her procedure coming closer and closer, Lena knows she has to think of a way to save herself and keep Alex. However, will she be able to do both before time runs out? Only time and more pages can tell in this fast-paced and addicting new addition to YA.

The one thing I always love about Lauren’s books is the way she not only completely fleshes out her characters, but also allows them to grow and evolve as time goes on. At first, Lena is somewhat like a zombie, following the government’s way of living with little question or outburst. However, once the book starts going and she meets Alex, she begins to come alive. She starts to question life, love, and happiness, and most importantly, she becomes fierce and a fighter.

The plot in this book was great. Lauren brought Lena’s world to life through her descriptions and characters, and most importantly, she did a good job of fleshing out the bond between Lena and Alex. While Lena and Alex’s romance does play an important in the book, my favorite of their relationship was how it not only allowed for them to see new ways of live in some ways, but the question it also arises throughout the book about love and happiness and the risks you take. I also enjoyed reading about Lena’s friendship with Hana, her best friend, as well as the tensions and twists that arrived with her mother’s death. It all caused for lots of tension as well as twists and turns.

Oliver’s writing was also great, as alluded to above. Just like with Before I Fall, she allowed for the story to come alive. Lastly, while the ending was sad and shocking, it was a great turn and I look forward to seeing what will occur next.

Memorizing, enthralling, and full of characters you cannot help but adore and root for, Delirium is a fabulous second novel- one that leaves me even more eager to read more by Oliver in the future.

Grade: A- 

Delirium is now available! The special addition (with the cover shown above) will be released August 2, 2011!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley- thanks HarperTeen/Netgalley!

Quick Qs and As with Lauren Oliver!

Lauren Oliver is the author of an AMAZING and BREATH-TAKING novel titled Before I Fall, which is officially out today.

~~~

Describe Before I Fall in three words.

Redemptive; life-affirming. (I hope.)

Describe your main character Sam in one sentence.

Popular, pretty, superficial, and mean, Sam Kingston is also lost, and in desperate need of change.

If you could offer Sam advice, what would you say?

Be nice; it really is true that you receive by giving. Try to be yourself. And only fall in love with people who deserve it.

Why did you choose to have Sam relive her last day in seven days then say six or eight times?

It wasn’t a deliberate choice, honestly. When I was outlining the book that is how many days it required to bring Sam’s character arc to its full articulation. But afterwards I was pretty pleased, since obviously seven days makes one full week, and also has religious connotations as well. Again, that wasn’t deliberate, but I think it works thematically with my book.

What made you choose to have Before I Fall’s setting be a small, wealthy town instead of a city or a less affluent town?

I was influenced by my own memories of high school and the community I lived in for all of my adolescence. Like Ridgeview in the book, the town was small and affluent.

What was your favorite aspect of writing Before I Fall?

Definitely getting to coax Sam through so many big personality and character changes. At the beginning of the book, she is petty and cruel and superficial. She is also disconnected; she’s unhappy without even knowing she is unhappy. By the book’s end, she is generous and loving and connected, and she knows how to experience joy. Getting to move her through all of the different moments of growth was awesome and challenging.

Did Before I Fall change in any big ways form first draft to what we’ll see in stores come March?

Actually, not really. I did relatively little “big picture” editing. That’s what we call beginner’s luck, my friend!

How did the title Before I Fall come to be?

Well, originally the title was If I Should Fall—a reference to, and slight adjustment of, a bedtime prayer mentioned in the book (If I should die before I wake…). But my publishers felt it was slightly too wordy. Strangely enough, we then went through hundreds of potential titles before we were able to settle on the word “before.” It was a terrible process, although funny in retrospect. I literally have pages and pages in my notebooks of suggested titles, each one worse and more nonsensical than the last.

I absolutely love the cover of Before I Fall which leaves me to wonder what your reaction was to it when you say it for the very first time.

I literally found it breath-taking. As in, all the breath wooshed out of my body and I was left kind of gasping.

What were you like in high school? Were you a lot like Sam or the polar opposite?

Hmm. There are definite similarities. I like to think I was nicer than Sam, and I believe I was, although I certainly had moments of cruelty. I was pretty lost and I had a tendency to lash out at other people as a result. Like Sam, I was pretty unhappy without really knowing it. I thought I had everything figured out, when really I was just so disconnected and confused and insecure. Other than that, I was pretty artsy. I was a very good student but I liked to talk back and show up late to class and wear pleather pants to school and stuff like that.

What part of writing do you find to be the most challenging?

Doing it every day! It is so, so hard to write every single day but it is absolutely necessary. I’ve been doing it every day since I was, like, five, and it’s still a challenge for me to sit down at the computer every day!

What are three completely random things about you?

I am addicted to ketchup.
My oldest friend calls me Lou.
I can’t stand bananas. I don’t even like to look at them.

I'm addicted to ketchup too. lol. What’s up next for you book-wise?

My second book, DELIRIUM, is being published in January 2011. I’m super, super excited about it. It’s kind of a dystopian Romeo-and-Juliet story—very different from Before I Fall, obviously, but a book I’m equally proud of.

Oooh, it sounds great! I can't wait wait to read it. Now, is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for having me! This was fun. :)

~~~

No, thank you, Lauren! By the way, you have an awesome first name. ;)

Before I Fall's Book Trailer



Other Links:

Lauren's Website
Lauren's Blog
Before I Fall on Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Indiebound
My review of Before I Fall
Lauren's HarperTeen site

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Summary:

What if you had only one day to live?

What would you do?

Who would you kiss?

And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. She’s expecting to attend a typical Friday night party with her friends, but instead a terrible accident takes her life.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she relives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

Newcomer Lauren Oliver has crafted a rich debut, at once literary and commercial, that will leave readers breathless.

Review:

I know I say this a lot, but I just have to say it for Before I Fall because I was one hundred percent right on the key for this one: I knew this book was going to being amazingly fantastic from the moment I saw it.

There are so many different things that just make this one complex, breathtaking, beautiful, and heartbreaking book. So, let's start with the characters.

To be honest at first I loathed Sam because she was just so full of herself and constantly hurt people who loved her to no end. Though, during the middle of the book she just did a complete 180 degree turn and let go of her bad ways. Instead becoming someone who I admired greatly simply because she gave up trying to save herself and focused instead on saving someone else who needed help from the beginning, while setting a lot of things right that were wrong before. I won't say anything more about this because I don't want to ruin anything. So, you'll just have to wait to understand what I'm saying come March. :) Moving on, I absolutely adored Kent, the guy who has loved Sam forever even though she doesn’t see it, because he was everything that almost any girl could want in a guy.

The plot was addicting and something that always showed you that even the slightest change you make can have the biggest impact latter on. Further more, Lauren's writing was complex yet so simple which left me to enjoy this book even more and to have one wish. That wish? To have Lauren write many more books that continue to awe and shock me.

In all, if Before I Fall doesn’t show just how awesome debut novels and YA can be, I don't know what can. So, do pick up this book come March because  I promise you won't regret it one bit. ( And if you do, you have my permission to yell at me, but I seriously don't think that will happen.) Though, I do offer one piece of advice. That advice? Keep a box of tissues by you because you're definitely going to need them.

Grade: A+

Before I Fall will be released March 2, 2010!

Source: Around The World Tours

Waiting On Wednesday: Week 27

My pick this week is:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

What if you had only one day to live?

What would you do?

Who would you kiss?

And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

Praise:

“This story races forward, twisting in a new direction every few pages, its characters spinning my emotions from affection to frustration, anger to compassion. You’ll have no choice but to tear through this book!”
– Jay Asher, author of the New York Times bestseller, Thirteen Reasons Why

My thoughts:

Wow, this book looks simply amazing. I think the cover will definitely pull people to the book no matter what. Also, JAY ASHER, the man who wrote Thirteen Reasons Why , commented on this and if Jay thinks it's worthy of his time, then it's most likely to be worthy of your time too! By the way, doesn't it seem like there are a lot of books about death coming out soon?

Before I Fall will be released sometime in Spring 2010.