The days are getting shorter and one can think of far greater things than going out into the cruel outside world where cold winds and social interactions seem to attack one out of every corner. Life confined to the small spaces of one’s bedroom can get quite boring sometimes and maybe you’re tired of binge-watching Netflix until your eyes bleed. Well let me introduce you to this cool non-electronic thing which is called a book and can possibly entertain you for hours. So, listen up geeks, bored people or those of you who just clicked on this article because they felt like it. I will give you some book recommendations which will probably rock your world.
So, fantasy is not your cup of tea? Jeez you’re picky. All right then, imagine you’re living in a world where everything seems to be perfect. There is no pain, fear or war. There are no choices and everybody is treated equally. Sounds pretty great doesn’t it. Well it’s not. Shocker.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
In “The Giver“ by Lois Lowry, the twelve-year-old boy Jonas lives in a society where not only all bad things have been erased, but on top of that all the beautiful things that make life worth living are gone as well. There is no emotional depth, no color, no memories, no fun or any individuality for that matter and the people are quite okay with that as they have never known anything else. The “Receiver of Memory” is the only person who holds the memories of the time before everything was controlled. Jonas, our main protagonist, is selected to inherit this position and is overwhelmed by all the new things he gets to experience that he never knew existed. All of the sudden, he begins to question the world he was used to and starts to realize that it might not be as idyllic as he originally thought.
This dystopian novel is a must-read in case you enjoyed other books which paint a rather grim but possible future. However, what differentiates this book from the other dystopian classics is that at times it can be quite misleading, making you believe that this version of life might actually be nice to live in. Its style, the way it is narrated and just the plot itself are something that one should not miss out on!
Memorable quotes:
“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”
“If everything’s the same, then there aren’t any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things!”
“He knew that there was no quick comfort for emotions like those. They were deeper and they did not need to be told. They were felt.”
― Lois Lowry, The Giver
Foto: Anna-Karina Ulbert
