GoodRead - Hana

As some of you MIGHT be aware if you've been reading my blog since early last year, I tried (and failed) to read the much-hyped and the much-loved Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I found it very hard work, which was a huge let-down as the idea behind the story - that love is a disease that needed to be cured - was such an shocking and interesting idea. And I know I am one of the few in the blogging world that didn't like or click with this book.

So, when I was told that Lauren Oliver had released an eBook short story, based on Lena's best friend, Hana, I had my doubts. I didn't like Delirium so why should I read this short story? But, after thinking it over, I decide to try one last time with this series. This was it: make or break time.

In Delirium, Lena and Hana were best friends. But with months before they take the cure, Lena begins to fall in love and Hana made a decision that tore them apart. In this original short story, we hear from Hana's point of view and we discover why she made that decision...

Now, am going to be honest, I read Delirium till about midway through the book so some of the events that happened, I remembered and I went "Oh! That happened!" so this is very much a story for the fans of the series! If you are reading this to get a taster of the trilogy, you might want to read this after Delirium and before its sequel, Pandemonium.

But the story was interesting. I always like these stories where the point of view has changed so you see what happened from the other side. And with Hana, you do see what happened and why she made the choices she made.

The twist ending. Right, this is about 75% of the eBook (the rest is a taster of Pandemonium so if you're excited about it, it's there!) and it took me several days to go "Oooh!" over it. I got very confused as it wasn't stated. It was, to me, hinted at and I felt I had to read the taster for Pandemonuim to get it.

Now, I am glad I went back into this world and read this as it set my mind at rest with this series. While Lauren Oliver's writing is unique and the idea that love is a disease that must be cured is an interesting idea, I won't be returning to this series. But at least I went back and gave it one more shoot, as sometimes we are very quick to judge books and sometimes, we need time to go past before we can make a real decision.

An Open Letter about Delirium

Dear Reader,

Today, 17th March, I have decided to do something I rarely do with books.

I am putting the book DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver down and read something new. I am on page 264 within a book containing around 400 pages.

For those of you who haven't read or heard of this book, Delirium is a dystopia novel where love is classed as a disease. Where, at the age of 18, you can be “cured” of love. The book follows Lena who, in 98 days, will be cured but, within these days, she meets (and slowly falls in love) with a guy called Alex.

Now, I hate leaving books unfinished. I hate doing it. But I feel I have to with this book for several and yet one reason alone.

I am not enjoying reading this book.

I'm sorry if you loved the book (and I know there are LOADS of you out there with love Delirium), but I am not enjoying it. I am finding it hard to read. After reading people's reviews and blogs and the hype around this book, I felt quite excited reading it, and after the first few chapters, I was excited myself. But since the end of chapter 3 or 5, the book just became... well, a drag. It felt more and more hard work.

And I know there will be people going “The last 100 pages! Read the last 100 pages!” but I can't see myself getting there. And, if I do read it, I'm not sure if I could like the book or find the book redeeming because of the last 100 pages. It just feels like I have read world-building and nothing is happening. Yes, it is a gradual realisation to Lena that the world isn't right, but it feels that NOTHING has happened.

Don't get me wrong. The book proposes an interesting idea and makes you wonder about love and wonder that if there was a cure for love, would you take it? (My answer: nope. Not a chance in hell!) And, there are moments in the book where the writing is beautiful. One of the most recent lines that made me go “whoa” is:

Snapshots, moments, mere seconds: as fragile and beautiful and hopeless as a single butterfly, flapping on against a gathering wind. (page 235 in UK hardback)

But I can't read this book in the hope that things begin to speed up or in the hope of finding gems of sentences. To me, reading should be fun and you should read a book because you enjoy it. If you don't like it, then don't read it. And I am going to do what I preach. I've done to myself in the past – read books that I find hard work and end up hating – and I won't do that.

So, I am putting the book down and leaving it. I hope to return to this book in a few months time and either start again or start from where I left off. Maybe a break from it will refresh my brain.

*

Because I failed (but hope to return and complete) on reading on Delirium didn't mean I had music linked to this book. So, I hope this music is a good replacement.