The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry was one of those books that seemingly everyone read in school, except me. I don't know how, but it just passed me by. I hadn't given it much thought until recently. I mentioned to a friend that I loved dystopian novels, and she said her favorite book from that genre was The Giver. I figured it would be a quick easy read.

I was immediately struck by how simple the prose in The Giver is. Lowry's style of writing is clear and concise without being slow paced or overtly obvious. The writing evolves with the main character Jonas. At first, Jonas is just like everyone else. He  experiences some emotions but not all of them, and none of his emotions are extreme or complex. Basic human emotions have been systematically eliminated from the population, such as pain, anger, fear, hunger, lust and even love. These feelings have been eradicated by creating a highly controlled society in which everyone must follow strict protocol. Jonas does not entirely understand the concept of death, instead he believes that people are 'released' from the community to a place outside of his little world. All of his life has been planned out stage by stage, and lacks any surprises or spontaneity.

Throughout the first portion of the book, the writing style is much like Jonas, lacking emotional intensity. Lowry states the facts as they appear to Jonas in a way that cannot be questioned, because Jonas cannot question his own identity. That is, he cannot question his identity until he is chosen to become the new Giver in the community. As the Giver, Jonas takes on the responsibility of learning memories of times past. Memories that had been forgotten by the rest of the community so that they could live without pain, anger, fear and suffering. Jonas quickly realizes that along with forgetting the negative things they have forgotten the beautiful happy things such as the ability to perceive color, excitement, and love. As Jonas learns more memories the writing style becomes more human and tangible. As readers we grow along with Jonas, as he begins to see his world with a new understanding.

I have not seen this literary technique used so well before and it gave the story more complexity and dimensions. Although I would have liked to have read this book while I was still in school, I think I can better appreciate it now that I am older. The Giver may have been written as a children's novel, but it still strikes a chord in adult readers. Especially as we get older, we value our memories more than ever before.

Mockingjay

The Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is the third and final book of The Hunger Games trilogy. Instead of reading the first two parts, I listened to them on my iPod. I was immediately drawn into the story. The Mockingjay was the first book I didn't listen to but read, and now I want to go back and reread all three. These books left a deep impression on me. Once finishing the series I thought about it for days after, replaying the story and it's message in my head. I would recommend this series to anyone who is looking for something different. The trilogy does not follow traditional literary formulas, which I think makes for a much more interesting and refreshing read.

Since the Mockingjay  is the final book I don't want to give anything away for those of you who are interested in reading the first two. I will give a broad synopsis of what the series is about, without giving too much away.

The trilogy is set far in the future where the United States has crumbled and is renamed Panem. The country has been divided up into 12 districts. Each district is in charge of providing goods and services for the Capitol. The Capitol is the main city of Panem, and it is where the totalitarian government resides.

One boy and one girl, between the ages of 11 and 18, are randomly chosen from each district to participate in the annual Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a vicious event in which all 24 'players' are forced to survive in a arena developed by the Game Makers. Players are forced to kill one another in any way possible, and the last player remaining wins. Not only must they protect themselves from each other, but the arena is riddled with deadly traps set up by the Game Makers to make things more 'interesting'. All the while the Games are broadcast all over Panem for the nation to witness.Traditionally players from the lower number districts win, because they are trained from birth to be ruthless killers. The worst district, 12, hasn't won in over 40 years. A young woman from district 12, Katniss Everdean, puts herself into the games to save her younger sister from death. Little does Katniss know that she is about to change the game for the better and incite rebellion amongst the districts.

The Mockingjay is  darker and more adult in tone than the previous books. A large portion of the book is spent showing how war, violence, loss and death can affect a person.  Collins shows how many the her characters experience symptoms of PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome). We are taken inside the heads of people who have experienced horrific situations but who must overcome those feelings in order to survive. Collins portrays war for what it really is; brief moments of victory followed by lasting periods of fear, loss and deception. I read many reader reviews of the Mockingjay on Goodreads.com and a lot of people felt that this book was a much too dark ending to the series. I disagree, I felt that it was realistic. Realism is often overlooked in the YA genre, which in my opinion is a mistake. I respect Collins because she was able to break away from the typical YA formula and inserted reality and truth into her story.