The Giver

The Giver (The Giver Quartet, #1)Title : The Giver
Author : Lois Lowry
Rating : 5 Stars!!

Mass Market Paperback, 179 pages
Published January 24th 2006 by Ember (first published January 1st 1993)
ISBN : 0385732554 (ISBN13: 9780385732550)

Jonas' 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 is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. 


Source : Goodreads 







"Thank you for your childhood, Jonas" 


I started reading The Giver on our flight and I'm already thinking as we were taking off, flying to the sky, I see the world below and its serenity with all the beautiful colors. I appreciated it so much when I started reading it. The colors. Feels like everything welled up inside of me. Those are the first things that I felt when I was reading it. The Giver has the ability to make the readers feel the world itself in an instant.

From the start of The Giver, I felt the innermost fear of perfection. Well it feels great to have everything in place and on-hand but even though all of it is aligned, I already felt a pang of guilt from the people who are innocent from what is real. But even so, I also felt the indebtedness of every people within the book. All of them expressed the words with all their hearts. It feels so wonderful to read a book like that. The people accepting all the things and  being mindful with their actions.

The Giver himself, I felt his loneliness from the start. Every bit of it. Because how can someone live having the memories of the people? It feels surreal to think about it at first, but as he gives it to Jonas, I felt a sigh of relief. Because at one point I felt the weigh of the memories of The Giver lessens, and for me that feels very good. I just can't take it everytime The Giver can't help himself from remembering the pain and anger all by himself. That's why when Jonas arrives on the door, I totally felt all the fabric inside me loosened down.

Jonas on the other hand, like the other child, so innocent and vulnerable, when he was assigned by the Giver, I already felt that his new life and childhood will already have a big gap. Receiving the memories seems wonderful and tragical for him but then, he still takes the responsibility of it. You see, I think that even though Jonas already knows the pain, hunger, suffering, and loneliness together with some joyous memories, he still took the responsibility of being the receiver.

Widely, The Giver is one of the most interesting book that I've ever read. I am definitely fascinated with the world of Jonas. The concept of perfection is captivating. This simply the utopian world that I didn't expect. I thank Lois Lowry for opening my mind in exploring how memories are so important to every individuals, painful or not.
 

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