Title: The GiverAuthor: Lois Lowry
Series: The Giver #1
First Published: April 26, 1993
Publisher: Clarion Books
Pages: 192
Genre: Coming of Age, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover
Source: Gift, Purchased
Rating:
Synopsis:
Life in the community where Jonas lives is idyllic. Designated birthmothers produce newchildren, who are assigned to appropriate family units. Citizens are assigned their partners and their jobs. No one thinks to ask questions. Everyone obeys. Everyone is the same. Except Jonas.
Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Gradually Jonas learns that power lies in feelings. But when his own power is put to the test—when he must try to save someone he loves—he may not be ready. Is it too soon? Or too late?
The Giver has become one of the most influential novels of our time. Don't miss the powerful companion novels in Lois Lowry's Giver Quartet: Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.
Buy the Book: AmazonReview
The Giver seems to be one of those books that I missed growing up and I honestly regret that I did! I was instantly sucked into the book, and I had trouble putting it down; by far one of the best dystopian novels I’ve ever read. The story centers on the idea of memory being key to obtaining knowledge and control. It is a coming-of-age story for young Jonas as he is given the gift of memory, both good and bad, as his eyes are opened to the world around him.
Speaking of dystopia, the novel did the genre right. The community that Jonas lives in really is perfect – daily life is heavily monitored and structured. The social order of things is just accepted as the way things are, and no one questions anything because nobody knows how, and that was perhaps the most terrifying thing of all. I felt a sense of dread for some of the characters in the novel who were completely blind to the awful things about to happen.
The world built in this novel is absolutely incredible, and the main characters are well-written. Asher was my favorite character, even though he made me feel a little bit sad for him. A bright boy with a sense of humor who is always put down for making mistakes, for being different, and he adjusts his behavior in order to be accepted. For him, being pressured to change resulted in a loss of self, a loss of innocence and childhood, a loss that is very real in the world today for many children growing up.
I love that not everything is explained and that the ending is left rather ambiguous, not in terms of whether or not Jonas survives, but rather what happens to the community. I had read that whether or not Jonas survived at the end of the book was a question that had come up multiple times and it makes me wonder how folks interpreted it that way, or even why that, of all things, was the question that burned in their minds. That aside, The Giver has definitely made it’s way onto my favorites list.
Quote
“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry is an American writer. She is the author of several books for children and young adults, including The Giver Quartet and Number the Stars. She is known for writing about difficult subject matters and complex themes in works for young audiences.
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