Panic by Lauren Oliver Book Review by Simran Bagdiya
Panic by Lauren Oliver is an
intense, suspenseful, and thought-provoking novel. Carp, being a small town
with twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere, is the last place a
teenager wants to be. With nothing much to do, everyone is looking to get out
of town and start a new life. At least, that’s the plan that Heather Nill has
in mind. However, she needs money to accomplish this. For her, Panic, a game
designed specifically for seniors, might just be the perfect solution. Each
day, every student at Carp High pays a dollar, no exceptions. At the end of the
school year, this money is awarded to the winner of Panic, which typically
amounts to around $50,000. However, winning the game is no easy feat, as the
contestants must face a series of death-defying challenges and must also
conquer their individual challenges, which require them to face their worst
fears.
In this novel, Lauren
Oliver’s writing style- lyrical, heavily indulgent and filled with descriptive
paragraphs- is a line by line pleasure to read, as the abundance of figurative
language and various types of imagery truly adds to the intriguing suspense of
the novel, and helps the reader create a vivid picture in their mind while
reading.
As appropriate for
novels filled with action and suspense, the plot pacing of the novel is
thrilling and faced-paced, with events occurring right after another. However,
special emphasis is given to the scenes regarding the challenges, as the novel
seems to slow down a bit during those parts. While there are several plot
twists that will surprise and shock the reader, the book has a well rounded
plot structure and falls into a normal plot triangle. Throughout the novel,
there is a relatively even build up to the climax, and an equally developed
fall and resolution to the novel.
One of Lauren Oliver’s
strengths in this novel is her ability to create several characters, all of
which were well thought out and complete with a profound meaning to the novel.
As a result of this, the conflicts that arose were also thoroughly developed
and meaningful, as they demonstrated a clear effect on the characters. For
instance, Heather faces a character versus self conflict which involves her
feelings regarding Matt Hepley and Bishop Marks. As a result of this conflict,
Heather begins to feel mixed emotions towards both of them, resulting in her
often contending with herself when it comes to her feelings about them. Another
conflict in the novel is a character versus character conflict, where Heather
and her sister Lily are struggling to be free from their alcoholic mother
Krista, who cares little about them. This affects Heather and Lily, as they
decide to run away, and become homeless for a while, merely surviving by living
in Krista’s car. An additional character versus character conflict is where
Dodge is fighting with his sister, as he wishes to continue to participate in
Panic, in order to play for Dayna, and get his rightful revenge. Albeit, his
sister prohibits him from doing this. This affects Dodge and Dayna, as it
weakens the brother-sister relationship between the two. There is also a
character versus society conflict, as the Panic participants are always against
the police. This is due to the fact that Panic is a dangerous, risky game where
many of the challenges require doing illegal things. As a result, the Panic
participants are always trying to do things in a sneaky manner, as being caught
by the police would result in dire consequences. Therefore, when they are
caught and someone dies, there is a major effect on the characters, as they all
feel a sense of guilt for participating in the game, and being responsible for
the death. Nevertheless, these conflicts always remained present in the back of
the mind, as they were constantly portrayed in the novel.
One of the primary impacts
that the novel had on the reader was due to the thoroughly developed
characters. For instance, the concept behind Heather and Lily’s conflict with
their mother was very real, as every child has had their parents not listen to
them at least once in their life, just perhaps not to that extent. However,
these relatable conflicts allowed the reader to easily identify and connect to
the characters. As a result, this developed some crucial themes, such as the
theme ideas of hardships, fear, and courage. These three theme ideas were
depicted throughout the novel, and were shown in each chapter. For instance,
the theme idea of hardships and struggle is shown through how problematic
Heather and Dodge’s current home situations are, and how they preserved while
dealing with the problem and did not let that bring them down. This affected
the reader as it showed how one may struggle in their life and face difficult
times, but that a person should not be discouraged and give up as a result.
Another theme idea that is conveyed in the novel was fear. This was
demonstrated through the various challenges and events in the novel, such as
when Heather was afraid of petting the tigers and is just looking at “the sharp
curve of [the tiger’s] teeth, white as bone” (81). Finally, courage is
portrayed in the novel when Heather pushes herself away from the tank, and
forces herself to walk on the wooden plank that is fifty feet above in the air,
and “had barely been secured to the ledge by means of several twisted screws”
(41). This influenced the reader as it demonstrates the fact that a person
should learn to confront their fears, and attempt to vanquish them.
For the most part,
Lauren Oliver’s Panic has surpassed my expectations, and is undoubtedly
her finest novel yet. It is a brilliant contemporary novel that belongs in its
own category, and is completely unlike The
Hunger Games and Divergent.
After the success of this book, readers should definitely add this captivating,
gripping, action-filled novel to their to-read shelves, and keep an eye out for
more of Ms. Oliver’s books. The New
York Times Book Review gives this
book a rating of four out of five stars, as only a couple of minor details
would need to be altered in order for this novel to receive a five star rating.
Overall, this book has definitely heightened the success of Lauren Oliver, and
is a memorable, commendable novel that will create a lasting impression in the
minds and hearts of readers forever.
