The Giver

Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Published: Kindle edition is from 2012, book from 1993.
Genre: Dystopia for young adults
Pages: 204


I remember reading Lois Lowry's books when I was a kid, at least the Anastasia-books, but not this one. That's because it hasn't been translated into Finnish. What? Really? Huh. Shame. I decided to give The Giver a go after reading what Liina from Sivukirjasto had written about it, and the whole series.

Aimed at young adults, The Giver was a fast read, but by no means childish or something an adult wouldn't enjoy. It's the story of Jonas, who has lived all his first 11 years happily in a society that seems damn utopian to begin with. As Jonas and his classmates become 12 -one 'birthday' ceremony for all, and I mean ALL kids at once- and get told what they will become when they grow up, Jonas, and the reader with him, begin to realise just what kind of a world he lives in. Little by little, the utopia turns into dystopia.

There are three books that loosely follow The Giver, set in the same world, and I'm gonna have to read those as well. This one ended a bit openly and I couldn't help myself, I had to take a peek at the synopses of the other books to see ... some spoilers. Oh, and apparently the movie version came out this past September. Having read the synopsis of that as well, I think I'll pass, no matter how much I love Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep.


   "Oh." Jonas was silent for a minute. "Oh, I see what you mean. It wouldn't matter for a newchild's toy. But later it does matter, doesn't it? We don't dare to let people make choices of their own."
   "Not safe?" The Giver suggested.
   "Definitely not safe," Jonas said with certainty. "What if they were allowed to choose their own mate? And chose wrong?
   "Or what if," he went on, almost laughing at the absurdity, "they chose their own jobs?"
   "Frightening, isn't it?" The Giver said.