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None of the followups to The Giver was as powerful simply because Jonas and Gabe's escape was left so open ended and mysterious.
I am sure that that book then inspired other dystopian tales. It was a story that haunted me for many years before I read any of the ones that showed what had happened to the pair.
This one focuses on Gabe's birth mother, so is a homecoming of sorts, by returning readers to the original community where Jonas and Gabe co-exist with Claire, then the story shifts to her struggle to find Gabe after he and Jonas leave.
It spends an inordinate amount of time developing her character and setting her up for a life in a community that loves and accepts her. And then, abruptly (I am trying to write this without giving anything away), the focus shifts to Gabe and abandons Claire, the character that Lowry so lovingly crafted.
So for 3/4th of the book, I was with Lowry and with Claire, who was such a sympathetic character. It was lovely and sweet to get to know this birth mother who was so determined to return to her son. And then in a deus ex machina move, everything shifts to make sense in a hurry, with answers for everything and.. and... The end.
So 3.5 stars for the fact that 3/4 of it was lovely, before the ending felt rushed and Lowry felt compelled to leave a nicely packaged story with everything explained and neatly wrapped up. It's just too perfect and too obviously explained, which loses its strength.
I am sure that that book then inspired other dystopian tales. It was a story that haunted me for many years before I read any of the ones that showed what had happened to the pair.
This one focuses on Gabe's birth mother, so is a homecoming of sorts, by returning readers to the original community where Jonas and Gabe co-exist with Claire, then the story shifts to her struggle to find Gabe after he and Jonas leave.
It spends an inordinate amount of time developing her character and setting her up for a life in a community that loves and accepts her. And then, abruptly (I am trying to write this without giving anything away), the focus shifts to Gabe and abandons Claire, the character that Lowry so lovingly crafted.
So for 3/4th of the book, I was with Lowry and with Claire, who was such a sympathetic character. It was lovely and sweet to get to know this birth mother who was so determined to return to her son. And then in a deus ex machina move, everything shifts to make sense in a hurry, with answers for everything and.. and... The end.
So 3.5 stars for the fact that 3/4 of it was lovely, before the ending felt rushed and Lowry felt compelled to leave a nicely packaged story with everything explained and neatly wrapped up. It's just too perfect and too obviously explained, which loses its strength.