The Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver Is a Good Read for Parents and Their Teens

Delirium and the books that tell the rest of the story (Pandemonium and Requiem), by Lauren Oliver, fall into the Young Adult category, but I picked the first one up when a friend recommended it and fell in love with the story. This was before the rest of the trilogy was published, so I was incredibly eager for books two and three and downloaded them to my Kindle as soon as they were available.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Delirium, which Lauren Oliver says was inspired by the thought that she should write a book about love since she’d already written about death, and the swine flu epidemic. Those two things seem as if they could never be related, but when they merge, at least in Oliver’s mind, they create a place where love is a sickness that requires a surgery, a “cure” before love has a chance to infect the citizens. These surgeries are scheduled right around 18, and a chosen spouse, career, and life as a whole all follow.

Ninety-five days before her surgery, the main character, Lena, begins to fall in love with a boy and from there, she has to decide whether to risk everything to enjoy the symptoms of this “illness” or to continue into the surgery and the pre-determined life she’s meant to live.

She’s normally obedient, but the sickness emboldens her to think outside the life she’s being throttled toward and the one she’s always known.

Because it’s a trilogy, you know there’s more to the story than Lena succumbing to the demands of the rigid society. There are so many new relationships formed, challenged, and partially rekindled throughout the rest of the story, and they all sculpt Lena into the brave young woman she becomes.

The story makes you really think; it’s not a simple, lighthearted Sweet Valley High-esque trilogy. Lena’s character evolves incredibly throughout the story, and Oliver’s writing is absolutely beautiful. I think parents and their teens would enjoy these books.

Photo credit: Barnes & Noble