With the release of 'The Hunger Games' last week teen fiction is back on everyone's radar; no other cinematic genre seems to be collecting as extortionate amounts at the box office as teenage book adaptations. The reason for their success is formulaic with Twilight, The Hunger Games and Harry Potter all originating as immersing and involving stories, set in a foreign dystopian world, providing strong female characters and two boys to root for pitted against a common enemy. An author cloying to get a little piece of this action is Lauren Oliver, whose own dystopian trilogy sees us imagine a barricaded and modernised Americana where love is seen as a sickness and all must undertake a procedure to prevent it taking root. 'Delirium' the first in the series was a beautifully poignant piece of work, igniting philosophical questions, portraying the closeting and overwhelming society the protagonists survived in and allowing us to really fall in love for the characters as they navigated their own journeys of "amor deliria nervosa" (lovesickness). 'Delirium,' released in early 2011, was a critical delight and popularised enough that FOX optioned the movie almost immediately with the deal including the rights for the second novel. That very novel 'Pandemonium' is one I approached tentatively; 'Delirium' closed with a delicately hanging cliffhanger that could have survived as a single entity, to continue this was a brave challenge particularly given the notorious difficulty of the second book. It is difficult to navigate a review without revealing the plot but a strength of the book is having Lena's life spiral out in front of you, with danger imminent and emotions heightened the sense of the oppressive society the story is taking place in is conveyed more clearly. The novel pertains to its predecessors original parallels to Margaret Atwood's post-apocalyptic novels, with Lena (the protagonist) propelling the story as she learns to adjust to her new life ('Delirium' closed as she escaped into the Wilds), become independent and channel survival techniques a la Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. Whilst 'Delirium' was a very closeted and private novel, with the reader almost intruding on Lena falling for her first love, 'Pandemonium' has more scope in terms of setting and themes, though at times tension and suspense are so well written the reader realises they're even holding their breath.
There are some elements of predictability in plot twists, but probably less so than other hit teen series. This trilogy is more relevant and thought-provoking than any other on the market and at times it revels in this own self-importance with Biblical and other literary references cavalierly thrown around. To a geeky avid book reader these are beautiful moments though I am unsure how they will translate to the silverscreen. With references panning from Shakespeare, to Joan Didion and even Twilight. The book is overwhelming in its quest for "freedom," Lena looks for it everywhere with natural similes abundant, whilst Oliver effectively debates exactly what freedom is and how it can be obtained through Lena's own thoughts. With 'Delirium' so centred on love and the closure of 'Pandemonium' bringing forth a theme of truth, it does leave me to wonder whether Oliver was inspired by Moulin Rouge's Bohemian ideals of "Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Love."
The novel is more confrontational than the first, in terms of Lena's emotions and the plot which sees a rising battle between two opposing ideologies taking place. This gives us riots, emblems, soldiers, rebels and discordance which is identifiable in its parallels with historic and political movements such as suffragettes, pro-life campaigns and terrorists. For me, the biggest strength of the novel was the blurred lines between these two oppositions; the novel takes a "then" and "now" approach alternating timeframes between chapters and providing parallel memories that show the extent to which similarities can be found between the two oppositions both as an entity and intimately, despite the radical difference in their thinking. In our present world this is brilliant food for thought and is daring yet intelligent move for a genre that is becoming a little silly - as both Twilight and The Hunger Games in particular sacrificed quality writing and strong plot points for the sake of sequels.
Oliver also uses opposing natural elements; water and fire, to guide us through the plot, flagging up danger and safety through similes and sensory explorations that remind of these two extremes, breaking down the wall between reader and author and always feeding us enough information to keep us hooked and suspicious without connecting it all together wholly. This works particularly well later in the novel when Alex and Julian Finemen (a new character Lena is introduced to) seem like exacting embodiments of these both fire and water respectively. Oliver's use of conflict to characterise also works successfully as Lena internally debates what makes somebody human, in the Wilds those who have faced the procedure are considered "zombies" whilst the Wilds populace are frequently described through animal similes. These two ideas collide as Lena becomes a slightly flaky heroine, as Oliver sacrifices her problematically to further plot device.
But largely the books are explorative and philosophical but also filled with action and "What would you do?" scenarios, their ability to examine a world where love is considered a disease both broadly and intimately is beautifully warped and their cliffhanger endings (yes, Pandemonium follows in Delirium's footsteps) keep us desperate for the next rendition. To me, they are equally, if not more, deserving of the spotlight their teen fiction counterparts holds. 'Pandemonium' has been my companion in the sun and I must have read the last page fifty times in the last 48 hours. A book that stays with you is a great one.
