Book notes: The Giver

By Lois Lowry.

Everyone in my family just read this, so I got in on the fun.

Lots to like about this book. It’s a quick read, and sets the hook pretty early. Some of the chapters end with fantastic emotional twists. Great book club book! Ripe for discussion.

The story is set in a dystopian world where there is no pain or suffering. Your job and family are chosen for you. There are trade-offs for living in this sterile world.

There are many Terrible plans. To only have one Receiver to shoulder the burden of memories was destined to fail. It’s amazing that it worked for even one generation. Why not have 3-4 people as a team of receivers? (Enough people to play most board games.) Jonas leaving for Elsewhere was reckless even if they followed the plan. I think Jonas and the Giver should have stuck together.

(Spoiler.) Did Jonas and Gabe die in the end? The author claims that she tried to leave it as a true 50/50 cliffhanger. To me it seems more like 95% yes, with the other 5% chance that they stumbled upon Christmas Town from the Nightmare Before Christmas.