As I read The Giver, I felt as if the book was way too long, it was dragging, and it seemed as if nothing good was happening. I was truly let down by this book, mostly because I expected more, especially after reading lots of positive reviews. The plot was very disappointing since you could easily predict what would happen next. There was nothing intriguing about the book, and I would most certainly not recommend this book to anyone.
The book is loosely based on a dystopian, post-apocalyptic society. Like every other dystopian themed book, the society rules over the people, making choices for them from their job, their spouse, even the child they’ll have. Every family unit can only have a boy and a girl and these children are born from mothers who are assigned to make babies and give them away. The people of the society are truly brainwashed, they cannot feel anything, moreover, they cannot see color. The Giver talks about Jonas, a young boy who is assigned the most important job of the society, and everyone depends on him. Faced with the harsh memories of the past and overwhelmed by the emotions of memories that do not belong to him, Jonas is left with the only choice that seems to be good for everyone, at least that’s what he thinks. Given that he is assigned this horribly overwhelming job since the age of twelve, it is predictable that Jonas would choose to try and save himself for a better life.
They say “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, but in this case, it’s the exact opposite. Do judge a book by its cover, because a cover like The Giver’s truly shows its content, boring and not at all appealing. The book was so predictable, I couldn’t even read it through. Also, it left me confused because in the end I couldn’t quite make out what had happened since there was nothing interesting to remember. I was forced to finish reading this book since it was an assignment, but if it was for me, I would stop reading since the first chapter. I would not recommend this book to anyone, it’s a complete waste of time. I would never say such a thing for a book, but this is literally the worst book I have ever read.