Son by Lois Lowry

A lot of bloggers were disturbed with the ending of The Giver because it did not tell what happened to Jonas. I was okay with the open-endedness of the book since its main impact for me was in its powerful ideas. But because I enjoyed Giver so much, I was glad when a friend loaned me, Son, the the final book in the series.

To prevent spoilers, I will just say that the fourth book continues with the theme of the high cost of love. It creates a character from the first book and weaves a story around the search for her missing son. In the midst of her story we find out what happened to Jonas and Gabriel.

It does not have the same "wow" factor as the first book, but for those who need a satisfying conclusion to the series, this should fit the bill.  The interim books (Gathering Blue and Messenger) are only loosely connected to Book One, but Son is THE sequel to Giver. (You can even skip the middle two books and not miss a whole lot.)

Some critics complained that the first book stretched the limits of belief. I didn't feel that way, but there were definitely moments in Son, when I was wrinkling my forehead and saying, "Really?" Still, it is worth reading if you like a compelling story of the pain and pleasure of loving deeply.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

I was recently given a copy of Son, Lois Lowry’s conclusion to The Giver. It has been six years since I read (and loved) Giver, so I decided to give it a quick re-read before delving into the newer book. Would having read two classic dystopian novels (1984 and Brave New World) in the mean time diminish the pleasure and impact of Giver the second time around? Not a bit.

Jonas lives in a highly structured future society where husbands and wives are matched up  by the government and each family unit is assigned one male and one female child (not related in any way to the designated parents). Jonas is almost twelve and awaiting the big day when all the "Twelves" receive their job assignments, which are career paths chosen for them by city officials according to their natural gifts. He is surprised to be chosen as the "Receiver of Memories," a very unique position in the community.

As soon as children reach puberty they are given a pill to control their "stirrings." This medication also serves as an equalizer for all emotions. Love and anger are barely recognizable as such. Jonas is allowed to stop taking the medicine since his assignment requires him to feel joy and pain. He feels threatened by this at first and then comes to believe that the colorless, safe world in which he lives is actually more dangerous and diabolical than the one that freedom would bring.

Common dystopian themes surface throughout the story: Government mandated families, and motherhood as a function vs. a vocation. Sexuality is something to be repressed. Books (and free thinking) are off limits. A substandard life is the norm since pain and risk cause too much chaos.

Lowry claimed in an interview that the book was not meant to be specifically Christian and that it should appeal to all religions. But as a believer, I found many of the themes fascinating, particularly the necessity of one person suffering for the sake of all the others.

Then there's the euthanasia theme. And the theme of naming as nurturing. Babies in the nursery are only given names once it is proved they will be healthy. Parents in the book will call a child by his birth number when they are cross with him (basically dehumanizing him.) The classic biblical example of valuing something in this way is found in Isaiah 43 when God tells Israel, "I have called you by name." This same theme was expertly done by Madeline L'Engle in the third book of her Wrinkle in Time series, A Swiftly Tilting Planet. 

The Giver is a well-written and thought-provoking book. I'll be reviewing its conclusion next week.

The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt

Frankly, I set myself up for disappointment with this book. Natalie Babbitt’s other book, Tuck Everlasting, was one of the most powerful and beautifully-written books that I’ve ever read. Therefore my expectations were pretty high for The Search for Delicious and it couldn’t quite live up to them. It seemed a little too contrived and silly (a whole kingdom going to war over favorite foods? A mermaid saves the day?) And don’t think that I found it hard to swallow because I disdain fairy tales. I was raised on them and have read them to my kids with zeal. But my tastes run more to Edith Nesbit (The Book of Dragons) and George MacDonald (The Light Princess and the The Princess and Curdie stories) because of the British wit, good writing and layers of meaning.

By the way, if you’ve only seen the movie version of Tuck, you have no idea of the richness of Babbitt’s story. I was furious with Disney for turning such a profound book into a teen romance. While I’m on the subject of insightful books, here are some other fiction books that have knocked the wind out of me with their depth of perception:

1) Fahrenheit 451 (You’ve got to read this if you love words/books/ideas.)
2) Gentian Hill by Elizabeth Goudge (Goudge is an extraordinary writer who deals with moral themes yet never preaches at you. The main love story in this book didn’t interest me much, but one of the lesser characters was a man who loved nothing more than to sit in his cozy library of books. He gave it up to reach out to needy people and I’ve been challenged to follow his example ever since. And he wasn’t even a “real” person!)
3) A Higher Call by Harold Bell Wright (The heroine of this book would not marry her pastor boyfriend because she wanted to actively serve God and not just “play church”). Very significant for me since I have been a part of the church all my life.
4) The Giver by Lowry is another one that I’ve mentioned before about the importance of pain. Who would have thought you could write a book like that in our comfort-obsessed culture and get away with it?!

Happy reading!

Messenger by Lois Lowry

In Messenger  Lowry has succeeded in writing another haunting tale (in the sense that the story sticks with you long afterwards). Matty is a boy who lives in the Village and delivers messages for Leader. The book is about his discovery of his unique gift and how it ends up saving the community from certain destruction.

While not as good as The Giver I appreciated its many insights into human nature, especially man’s willingness to sell his soul for worthless trinkets. I found the ending a bit disturbing, but realized that it was a “happy” ending in the sense that many more were saved than were lost. In an unreal world everyone is happy without pain. In Lowry’s books pain is a necessary ingredient for growth and beauty.

I really liked the contrast between the pain inflicted by the forest (with the intent to hurt or kill) and the pain experienced by the people who came to the Village. They were blind, crippled, or birthmarked, but their inner characters were formed by these blemishes. Interestingly, as they sought to free themselves from these flaws they became more and more inhumane.

Having been deeply touched by the ideas and characters in Lowry’s The Giver, I was anxious to read this “sequel”. The main character in Giver is a secondary character in this book (but at least you find out what happens to him). Apparently a secondary character in this book is the main character in the “prequel” called Gathering Blue. I use the words sequel and prequel loosely because all these books can stand alone.  Now I just have to order the third one!