britt

The Giver only gets better with age. I first read this book as a teenager, but adulthood has made it much more visceral and disturbing. Lowry gives her dystopian community an interesting twist: it works. Unlike the societies in The Hunger Games or Fahrenheit 451, this one operates without any nefarious undercurrents and actually seems like a fairly pleasant place to live. While the village leaders do exercise a level of draconian control, it always is about safety and never about power. The Giver, however, is more concerned with character than with politics. We get very little information about the governance or history of the community; Lowry maintains focus on Jonas and his growth. Perhaps the world of the novel suffers from this--it never seems entirely complete or believeable--but the heart of the novel is stronger for it. As Jonas grows, so do we. As Gabriel grows, so do we. Lowry's message of humanity is more powerful for giving us the details of lives in the village rather than life in the village. Far from perfect, but beautiful nonetheless, The Giver is a book worth sharing.

2023-07-17 10:33