Dystopia / Utopia

I seem to be reading only children's literature, nowdays. That probably does not look too good on a thirty something with a degree in literature.

But, since it looks like my kind of SF is best written in the young adult section of the field, and since I just happened to finish Delirium, a dystopian young adult novel by Lauren Oliver, I might just as well include it in my 2012 science fiction reading challenge's Dystopia / Utopia category rather than read something more mature for it.

Delirium is set in future Portland, USA, where a cure for love has been found, and made mandatory for every citizen. As love is considered a deadly sickness, amor deliria nervosa, right after their 18th birthday everyone is obliged to undergo a surgical procedure that will prevent them from ever falling in love. There are side effects to the cure, making those cured unable to feel any kinds of strong feelings thus turning them, very conveniently, into obedient, submissive citizens, who follow unquestionably whatever the officials' orders might be: curfews, raids, interpretation of available literature, closed borders around the country and its communities... There are symphatizers, people who do not believe in the cure, a resistance, even, but by abusive manipulation, complete control, strong segregation of underage males and females, fear provoking, terror, and propanganda, the government has managed to tame its citizens to voluntarily undergo the procedure in an attempt to stop the disease from spreading.

Delirium is told in the voice of Lena, a young girl only three months away from her cure. She is very willing to have the procedure done. Not only has she been made to memorise every single sentence of The Safety, Health and Happiness Handbook ("The Book of Shhh") at school, she has also witnessed her own mother succumb to the illness and commit a suicide. Lena is determined not to end up like her mother, but at the same time, unable to control her own nature. For the purposes of her society, she is far too individual, and sees things somewhat differently; for instance, when questioned at an important evaluation which will determine her place in the society once and for all, why she chose Romeo and Juliet as her favourite story, she just can't bring out the correct answer ("because it's a cautionary tale about the dangers of love") but mumbles something about it being "beautiful" and "about sacrifice".

Also, Lena has a friend, Hana, whose whisper, "you know you can't be happy unless you are unhappy at the times", inevitably sets events in Lena's life towards a course that will lead her to abandon the cure and normal, respectable life inside the wired fences of Portland. During the last months before her procedure, Lena follows Hana to secret nocturnal meetings, festivals of forbidden music, empty buildings where symphatizers once have dwelled - and falls for Alex, who is uncured and an Invalid, meaning he is from "The Wilds", the forsaken, bombarded outskirts of Portland. That's where Lena will follow him at the end of the book, only that Alex doesn't make it but is captured leaving Lena muse something like "Love, the deadliest of all deadly things: it kills you both when you have it and when you don't". As Delirium turned out to be first part of a triology, I'm quite certain Lena and Alex will be reunited, later.

To be honest, I would have enjoyed Delirium more had the ending been a little less predictable. It would have been quite haunting to have Lena undergo the procedure anyhow, and then show the reader, how the eerie, stagnant, Stepford Wives reminding way of life of Portland just goes on and on... I do find the idea behind Delirium quite mind blowing, and it does remind me of Margaret Atwood's brilliant The Handmaid's Tale. But where Atwood hints and heart-achingly shows, Oliver narrates, and far too many pages are spent describing how truly amazing kissing can be instead of actually discussing major themes like power, control, free will and the way people need to feel love, frustration, anxiety, companionship, attachement etc. to be really alive.

And that's why Delirium would have gained from a more grown up point of view and a claustrophopically closing ending; thus it could really have left the reader wondering, whether something like this could happen in the reality and have there been any indicators as to how and why.