Reviews with content warning for Violence - Delirium

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Delirium, by Lauren Oliver

9 reviews

rh1714's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

zoeharvey__'s review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Help what was even happening I am actually emo by the ending AND THE TWIST like I probably should’ve expected it but also WHAT EVEN who’s going to pay for my therapy after this

Content Warnings

crybabybea's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

In many ways, Delirium is an anti-authoritarian dystopia that makes the reader question blind obedience to a government built on propaganda that tells you which way to feel. There are also strong overtones of totalitarian “big brother”-esque surveillance which only seems to get more and more timely as America’s culture and society progresses. Delirium follows the typical young adult dystopia pattern of “main character lives in some sort of extreme totalitarian police state → main character has accidental run-in with rebels despite being brainwashed herself → main character becomes radicalized through violence or existential discovery → main character becomes a rebel or martyr”. Delirium is unique in its approach by wrapping the dark subject matter in a sweet coming-of-age love story. In other young adult dystopias, romance may be a feature but is often drowned out or portrayed as impossible due to the circumstances of their society. Delirium, though, portrays love in its rawest, most beautiful form, something that is inherent to human life and cannot be separated from it.

As a coming-of-age novel, Delirium is a love story in all of its forms - familial, platonic, romantic. Lena displays incredible emotion and genuine love for the people in her life. First, for her mother, who committed suicide after the death of her husband, Lena’s father. Her mother refused to be cured and fought through the cure each time, and though Lena couldn’t understand, she finds beauty in the intense love her mother felt. She is never embarrassed or ashamed of her mother, despite the people around her and the propaganda fed to her wanting to make her feel so. Lena remembers the beautiful parts of her mother’s love; dance parties in the living room, lullabies and singing forbidden songs, hugs and cuddles (also forbidden) when Lena was struggling or hurt. She also remembers the immense loss she felt when her mother was taken from her; the hole left by lost love and the traumatic memories of the funeral and rehoming. Lena also feels a sisterly, fierce and protective love for her younger sister Grace, who is ostracized by others for being mute and seen as odd.

Hana is also a source of light and love for Lena. Their friendship began in elementary school, when Hana was the first to talk to Lena about her mother’s death instead of whispering about her and treating her like a contagious disease. Hana showed loyalty to Lena even in the beginning, by standing up for Lena when people shamed her for her mother’s past. When Hana begins deviating from the norm, listening to forbidden music and going to unsupervised, dangerous parties, Lena shows Hana the same loyalty despite her reluctance. Although Lena and Hana, after years of blissful, playful youth, experience toxic moments and painful fights (particularly due to Lena’s inner struggle with obedience vs. love and loyalty), Lena and Hana undoubtedly show pure love and care for each other. Lena risks her life to warn Hana of the incoming raid, and Hana risks hers to help Lena and her love interest break the law and meet each other. Lena and Hana, despire their emotional rollercoaster, are genuine and true friends to each other until the end.

Lastly, and most obviously, Lena develops a romantic interest in Alex, which is strictly forbidden. In many ways, Alex represents radicalization for Lena. Alex introduces her to the beauty of love, the passion and fire and butterflies and comfortability. Their relationship starts off slow, due to obvious circumstances. Lena, through Alex, struggles with her understanding of the world she lives in and the lies she has been taught since childhood. Alex shows her the dark parts of himself, and she to him, and through this connection Lena discovers the dark parts of the world she’s lived in for so long.

When the love she has for the people in her life becomes dangerous, Lena has to grapple with the reality of the society she calls home. How could a world that keeps people from such a beautiful, raw emotion be safe or healthy? How could a country that kills and brutalizes its citizens for disobeying turn around and preach “saftey, health, and happiness”? Through the love for her mother, Hana, and Alex, and with it, the firsthand experience of brutal totalitarianism, Lena’s radicalization comes full circle and she becomes the person she was always terrified of becoming, but who she was truly meant to be.

Despite being a dystopian commentary on totalitarianism, authoritarianism, police states, and propaganda, Delirium is also an exploration of human emotion, a declaration that love — and empathy along with it — is an indisputable pillar of human life. Despite its pain, trials, and tribulations, love is one of the emotions that separates human from animal, and it can never be taken from us. Delirium is also a cheeky nod to the story of Romeo and Juliet, and the author uses reference to real-life poets and artists like Shakespeare and ee cummings to show that love has always been instinctual and integral to human life.

—

Delirium has been criticized for being too descriptive, but I personally found this aspect of the read very enjoyable. I’m someone who enjoys overly detailed descriptions of things, it helps me become immersed in the story and activate all of my senses to understand what the character is going through. I admire the creativity of authors who can describe mundane things in beautiful ways, even if it seems unnecessary or pretentious. I think Delirium is a perfect balance of fast-paced action and slow-paced, stop-and-smell-the-roses type description. I never felt that the prose got in the way of the storytelling, and I never felt that it became too overbearing. With that being said, if you are somebody who is annoyed by detailed descriptions, you may find yourself skimming through paragraphs more often than not.

I’ve also heard criticism about Delirium’s characters; Alex and Lena, in particular, being flat and boring. I do think this is true, but I think it can be conveniently explained away when considering the world of Delirium as a whole. People in this world are brought up like robots, destined to be matched and married and keep producing kids to continue the cycle. I personally thought Lena was an interesting character, despite not being all that complex. She is boring, and she is constantly looking forward to being cured and matched and fading into the background of the world. She is also a victim of extreme propaganda and brainwashing, and has been told all her life which way to go and what her future entails. I think Lena’s background is interesting, her history with her rebellious mother is integral to her character development. It’s obvious that Lena is never going to reject her mother and accept the world she lives in with open arms - but this is a young adult dystopia and things are often a lot more spelled-out than in other, more gritty dystopian novels. Alex, though, is quite flat and we never really end up knowing much about him, except that he is from the Wilds and likes poetry. In a lot of ways, Alex is a stand-in character that represents Lena’s final radicalization and defiance. He doesn’t have much of a personality, rather he is a stepping-stone for Lena, playing into the flipped Romeo and Juliet imagery.

Overall, Delirium is an enjoyable read with beautiful, immersive writing, and an exploration of the Romeo and Juliet archetype with a dystopian twist. It's a story of love and passion, and learning to fight for the things you believe in. The plot moves quickly enough to keep most readers entertained, and the premise of the dystopian world is interesting, if a bit unbelievable.

Content Warnings

mindins's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Content Warnings

rawrsoobin's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

Content Warnings

sparkinspace's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Content Warnings

chaya77's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

This book was a little boring at times but if you push through the ending is worth it, but it depends on the person.

Content Warnings

disabledmermaid's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

While there are some parts that are completely implausible no matter how much I try to suspend disbelief (how could someone possibly entirely conceal a chunk of skin being torn from their leg from so many people?), I genuinely loved this book

The world this is set in is genuinely unsettling and tense. The concept is disturbing, and reading Lena’s journey as she slowly shakes herself free of the brainwashing was intense

The love story was convincingly written as a teenager falling in love for the first time, hard and quick and often reckless, with the added touch of fear and doubt due to the society Lena was raised in

I also loved how much Lena’s love for her best friend, her mother, and her cousin’s daughter contributed to her choices

Content Warnings

halfwaytoaugust's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous

4.0

Content Warnings

More...