Book Review: The Giver

     The Giver, by Lois Lowery, a young adult book set in a dystopian science fiction world, is a simple read with complex discussions. It flows from scene to scene with ease and never leaves the reader wondering for details that should have been given, until the last chapter of the book that is. The main cast consists of Jonas, the Giver, Jonas's parents, siblings Lily and Gabe, Fiona, and his best friend Asher.

Jonas is chosen to be the community's next receiver, receiving memories of the past from the Giver so that he may one-day advise the Council on how to deal with situations that they have never encountered. As he takes on his new role in his community where everything is chosen for them, questions about morals and expression become a central point of the book. Jonas also has to come to terms with the fact that the people around him will never understand what he now knows about life, that he will be isolated from them regardless of how that makes him feel, slowly coming to the knowledge that he does not agree with the society around him.

I like how simplistic the book is on a surface level, coming off as another book about an adolescent rebelling against their society's broken rules and morals, which it is, but it has a deeper meaning when put into thought. The concepts in this book are interesting ones as they question how far is too far when the end goal is peace and stability; when is protection and safety infringing on people's liberty, their freedom? Jonas and the Giver become more established as they learn their answer, beginning to feel like real people, people with emotions, unlike the rest of the Community around them. Now, when it comes to my dislikes, I have few complaints, my only one being the ending of the book, and not knowing that it was apart of a series sooner. The ending seems to leave things up for interpretation, it could be positive but it very well may be negative. Jonas ends his story in a way that mirrors some of the happy memories that the Giver had given him. This coincidental twist leads me to immediately think that it's not real,  that he died in the snow before reaching this 'Elsewhere', but the ending could just be implying that the Community never changed, as it calls reference to him hearing music off in the distance, but not in front of him, behind him, from wince he came. Nonetheless, I recommend this book to children in around middle school or their first year of high school. It is not a complex read but could stir a good discussion as it makes the reader think about the society they live in.