Delirium by Lauren Oliver


Delirium by Lauren Oliver is heart-pounding, palm sweating novel that will leave one craving for more. Delirium, published in January 2011, is set in an alternate United States where “... the president and Consortium identified love as a disease… and scientist perfected a cure” (Oliver 1). Since love is classified as “the deadliest of all deadly things” (Oliver 4), everyone is required to have the procedure done, “but you must be at least eighteen, sometimes a little older before scientist will cure you; / otherwise the procedure won’t work correctly” (Oliver 2). Fortunately, Lena Haloway, the main character, cannot wait to have her treatment done “in exactly ninety-five days, on September 3, [her] birthday” (Oliver 1), so she can finally “be happy and safe forever” (Oliver 2). During those ninety-five days until her scheduled procedure, Lena meets an enigmatic boy named Alex, and does the unthinkable: she falls in love. Later on Lena’s perspective of love changes dramatically, for she realizes “that love will turn the whole world into something greater than itself” (Oliver 234). Therefore, Lena and Alex become anarchist, and fight for their forbidden love leading to a tragedy at the end that will drive the reader into tears, and leave them with unanswered questions.


Any teenage girl through the ages of 13-18 will enjoy reading the novel Delirium by Lauren Oliver, for one can connect with the vivid emotions that Lena experiences throughout her adventures. Lauren Oliver, a raconteur, does an extraordinary job explaining the ineffable feelings of love. Because the novel is full of drama and action portraying perfectly the love life of a teenage girl, there is nothing that can be ameliorated to make the novel even more spectacular than it already is. In brief Delirium by Lauren Oliver is a suspenseful, heart-breaking novel that can be enjoyed by any teenage girl.