The Giver is a novel by Lois Lowry, which was first published in 1993. The novel follows a young boy, Jonas, in a society that eliminated pain and conflicts by eradicating emotional depth from their lives. Jonas is apprehensive about an upcoming ceremony that will determine is “job” in the community.

It might not be much of a set up but I really didn’t want to spoil anyone because it is an amazing book.

How was it? The novel is cleverly written. Information about the community Jonas lives in is peppered throughout the first half of the book. You gradually learn about that society, the way they live, their rules, which makes for a very easy and pleasant read. And it’s not boring. It all actually sounds good but in of the other half of the book you get deeper into Jonas’ world. You realize what they’ve lost to get to where they are now and you see underneath the surface. The last chapters  of the book are somewhat predictable but they are just brilliant.