The Giver: Book Review by Abhiram Singireddy

Plot: A story of a brilliant boy named Jonas who happens to live in a society that's being controlled by the rules and convention of The Elders. Through his shrewdness and quirk, Jonas is chosen as the Receiver of Memory, a post that recognizes him from others and gives him authority.

The Giver brought to the table a profound thoughtfulness that I don't usually see in the dystopian of today. The Giver keeps things simple when it comes to world-building, which would normally be a problem for me in any other book in the same genre, but here it works because it puts the focus on the important messages of the novel, rather than in the details of the world. This book is a fast read, not action-wise but in short, easy chapters that leave you needing to know more. This book quickly set me up with wondering many questions. And for each one that is answered right away, several new ones came up. The community is actually quite disturbing on many levels. Everything seems perfect, but in reality, it is far from that. There are rules and rules and rules. Words must be appropriately used. Speech is controlled, requested, confined. Like and observe, recollections of numerous things are confined and as it was held by one individual within the community, the Receiver. That's recollections of snow and daylight and war and famine. The character development and the clarifications in this book appeared destitute. Lowry could've gone into more depth with an explanation of Jonas' world and made the characters appear less dull. Be that as it may, I think the need for depth is fitting, given the reality that this book is typically read by middle schoolers. Finally, I would recommend this book to others and give it a 9 out of 10.