Delirium by Lauren Oliver | Teen Ink

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

November 17, 2017
By Shaelynn BRONZE, Dexter, Michigan
Shaelynn BRONZE, Dexter, Michigan
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

“Love: a single word, a wispy thing, a word no bigger or longer than an edge. That’s what it is: an edge; a razor. It draws up through the center of your life, cutting everything in two.  Before and after. The rest of the world falls away on either side.” In Delirium, by Lauren Oliver, a science fiction novel set over 75 years in the future, love is considered a terrible thing. A deadly disease, even. At least by most people. Lena, the main character in the story, has been taught her whole life to never mess with love, to never think about it, and to never talk about it. Lena was always afraid of love. It killed her mother, almost killed her sister, and she was worried that it would come for her as well. Luckily, there is a cure to stop people from being capable of feeling love. Lena could be cured of the “disease” and never have to worry about it again, but it wouldn’t be safe for her until she turned 18, and she wouldn’t be the same person she was before. She didn’t care though. Lena was so ready to be cured, until she met Alex ... who changed her whole perspective of love.


Delirium is simply the most captivating, fun, frustrating, and thrilling book I have ever read. The story was constantly twisting and turning with cliffhangers after every chapter. I would finish one chapter, and then it would end with something like, “Yeah I’ll go out with you,” or “After all these years, she’s alive.” Oliver’s writing style is so amazing. She used Lena as the perfect narrator who had the craziest, best descriptions of the world around her. Lauren also did a great job in keeping the reader hooked. There were always so many things to think about, to predict what will happen, and what something might mean. I recommend this book to ages 13 and up. It has some things that might not suit younger readers, but for everyone else, it’s a novel that all teens and up will adore. I never once got bored while reading, and I can’t wait to start the next book: Pandemonium!



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