The Giver by Lois Lowry

Title: The Giver

Author: Lois Lowry

Publisher: Laurel-Leaf

Originally published in 1993

Pages: 179

Genres: YA, Science Fiction

Format: Paperback

Jonas’s world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now it’s time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. 

The Giver is set in a dystopian future where the residents of the community take pills to suppress their human emotions so that they live a life of control, free from complication. Don’t worry, i’m not giving anything much away by telling you that, it’s the events that happen beside that point that drive the narrative. Jonas is, like many heroes from the ‘coming of age’ convention, singled out as special. The role that is assigned to him is assigned to no others, and the previously selected children have failed. As one might expect, Jonas succeeds where the others have not. 

Lowry’s book does not challenge the format of many books aimed at young adults. We follow Jonas as he sheds the simpler life of his childhood and begins to shoulder the responsibilities of his future. What is different about The Giver is the concept. The concept and the emotional, psychological empathy that the book demands. For such a narrow volume it packs a lot of punch, and it withholds just enough about the state of affairs at the beginning, that Jonas’s revelations become our own. 

On the surface this is not a complicated book. The ending remains pleasantly ambiguous, and can lead to some interesting discussions, but aside from that very little is left up to the reader. It is, instead, philosophically intense. Those who want a good, compelling story will not be disappointed. If you’re like me and you also like to read into texts and engage in analysis, then you’ll find plenty to draw upon. The depth of this book depends on the reader and so definitely falls into the category of YA fiction that will continue to appeal to a much older audience. It’s one you can go back to and it will reveal more every time. It’s also short, so if you find yourself with a free Sunday and feel like indulging by spending the day curled up on your sofa with a good book, this is one that you can get through entirely before dinner time.

Placing it in a wider literary context The Giver conforms with other YA books of the darker variety by centring upon a community where the adults in charge have fallen short and are not to be trusted. Lowry’s book can therefore be placed alongside His Dark Materials (Pullman), the Harry Potter series (Rowling), The Hunger Games (Collins), The Wind on Fire (Nicholson), and many more. 

Definitely read this book. It’s well worth the few hours that it will take you.