The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is a brilliant novel set in a different world where everything is regulated. One boy, one girl to each family unit. Pills taken to combat emotions, and sickness and pain ceased immediately with more pills. A person's future hangs on their Assignment, their job in the village which they will hold for the rest of their lives until they enter the House of Old. Jonas is readily approaching his Ceremony of Twelve, where he will be given his assignment. And soon his world will change forever.
Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down! The author described the setting so well that I felt like I was part of Jonas' world from the very first page. Jonas' world is very interesting and I was very curious to find out more about the way his world worked. The book is not very long- but it manages to say everything it needs to say in the short number of pages. The book made me cry at the ending, which is kind of ambiguous and left to the reader to decipher. However, it conveys a strong message that knowledge is powerful, and that we can learn from our past. It also tells us that differences can lead to pain, but what we gain from our differences is much more valuable than the pain it brings.
For people who don't like ambiguous endings, this story could be unsatisfying- however, this book has three companion novels which mention what happens to some of the main characters later on, so the story does continue.
I'd recommend this book to readers of ages 12-16. This book is a fantasy or dystopian novel- but it doesn't quite fit into a broad category like this. It is a very unique novel which it is definitely worth reading. I rate it 9/10.
Related novels: The Hunger Games, Divergent, If I Stay
Companion Novels: Gathering Blue, Messenger, Son