Change is a process, not an event

Dear Lena,

     If I flick through the first chapters again I’ll say that you are not that girl who was in the beginning. When I first met you, you were soft-spoken and quiet; obedient and unquestioning. “The girl who was afraid of everyone and everything. The girl who was afraid of herself.” Believe me I tried not to forget about the society where you lived and all rules which you were to follow. But you were not self-confident at all. To be cured was your main dream. “I just want to be normal, like everybody else”, remember? You took refuge in protocols and in absolutes, not letting yourself to doubt. You looked to authority to tell you how to think and believe, and you turned away from conflict, discomfort, and anger. All I first could say that you were a good and perfect citizen; you were weak. BUT it was your past and NOW you've become absolutely different. You’ve changed in a better way.

     You are not afraid to break rules, believe in yourself, your beauty and love. You’ve turned into a rebel, strong and brave girl and – “into a world-class liar”. You began to realize the truth, and I really like seeing how love changes everything for you. You have learned to embrace challenge and to trust yourself above all others. You are always true to your own feelings, even when they are conflicted, even when they bring pain.

     Courage comes not from following the shortest route to happiness, but living honestly, in accordance with our values and beliefs, even if that honesty brings complexity and difficulty. Your support was Hana (a faithful friend) and Alex (a boyfriend). “Three of you against countless thousands”. You, Lena, have learned to live with contradiction. You have stopped trying to escape complexity by adhering to rules. That means you started to grow up. In spite of somewhere inside of you there is still a person who sometimes flees feelings by denying or minimizing them, who tries to forget about all cruel things which she got to know.

     In conclusion, all I can say is that all emotions you felt were real. Sometimes I caught myself on thought that I’d have the same idea, the same decision. I always admired your discourses, unforgettable comparisons. The way you looked at everything was interesting as well. 

     

Take care of yourself, Lena. And I will hold my fists for you

Sincerely yours,

Kate

Praise for Delirium

“A dystopian Romeo and Juliet story that deserves to be as massive as Twilight.” (Stylist)

“This has to be one of the most original fiction concepts for a long time… It will stir up the emotions that remind you why you bother with love at all.” (News of the World)

 “Clever, imaginative novel… the movie must surely be just around the corner.” (Daily Mail)

Hello, my dear readers!

     Some magazines say that Delirium is an addictive book. So I can contend with it. As for me, I didn’t notice myself to root to my chair and be impossible to stop reading. Delirium is a kind of “light” books which is written for teenagers. During your reading, you can easily guess what the characters are expected next. In result, you are not surprised at their actions because they are clear beforehand. But I haven’t read till the end yet so I hope the ending will surprise me.

     The book is again about love like most teenagers’ books (although nearly every book is about love). I wouldn’t say that love stories in "Delirium" and "Romeo and Juliet" are absolutely the same. As for me, both of them can be met just in books and movies (perhaps, they are a little bit naïve). A forbidden love unites these two works. In general, the plot is different. Ideas and reasons, time, circumstances, customs are absolutely not connected. Two main characters, Lena and Alex, can’t date because they are from different “worlds”. For her love is a disease, for him is a natural thing.

     I agree with “News of the World”, the idea is really original and new. A place without love? Who else has thought of that, who else has thought to use love as a disease? Mmm… No book I've ever read has spoken of love like that. It is so new, so unusual, so horrible, so real. The writing is full of emotions and a language is so clear. Mix of humour, daily emotions, serious and disturbing thoughts, live-conclusions. A book that has you laughing one moment, seriously thinking the next. All characters’ emotions seem real, like they are yours. As if you were the main character, you’d think the same way, say the same words.

     To sum up, the book is original, new, easy-reading but not a book for a "Have To Read" list. In English I like her, like reading and finding interesting sentences which I can use in my speech. Would I continue to read this book in Russian? I don’t think so. But to see a movie-adaptation would be interesting.

P.S. I haven’t found negative reviews. If someone does, write me so that I can comment: agree or disagree. Tastes differ! It was my point of you but decide you – to read or not to read.

With love,

Kate

Vocabulary

Hello,

     Today I want to present you words which I've know from the book.

1. writhe – to twist something (often – body) in a violent way, often because you are in pain (Sometimes I swear I can feel it writhing in my veins like something spoiled, like sour milk);

2. sour milk - milk that is no longer fresh, spoiled;

3. gnaw – to bite something with a lot of small bites (She has a whole orange in one hand. She is trying to gnaw on it, like an apple, with her little-kid teeth);

·         Gnaw at sb – to make someone feel more and more anxious or annoyed.

4. nudge – to gently push someone or something (I nudge her. “Go ahead. Eat now”);

5. fragile – easily broken, damaged, or destroyed; physically or emotionally weak (Hearts are fragile things. That’s why you have to be so careful);

6. lump sth/sb together – to put different groups together and think about them in the same way (…which, like all the government offices, are lumped together along the wharves…);

7. squint (against sth) – to look at something with your eyes partly closed (I squint against the sun, trying to locate people I know);

8. nonchalant – calm and not worried (She is so relaxed about the whole thing, so nonchalant and normal);

9. blistering – extremely hot (blistering cupcake);

10. scoop (smth/smb) up – to lift something or someone with your hands (It makes you want to reach out a hand to help her or scoop up her books);

11. grind – to keep rubbing something until it becomes a powder (feeling as through someone is grinding sand into both of my eyes);

12. blemish – a mark which spoils the appearance of someone or something (It is the single blemish on the administration, and the system in general);

13. oblivious – not aware of something (She’s oblivious to the fact that I hate it when other people see me change);

14. cramp – to feel a sudden, strong pain in a muscle that makes it difficult to move (My left thigh is starting to cramp);

15. glare at smb – to look at someone in an angry way (I can feel Hana glaring at me, but I ignore her);

16. forge – to make an illegal copy of something in order to deceive people (He can’t really think I’ve forged an identity card);

17. delusion – when someone believes something that is not true (The very next day it felt like a dream, or a delusion);

18. Goose bumps prick up over my arms – when you feel scared or excitement;

19. flicker – to appear for a short time or make a sudden emotion/expression (Something flickers over her face, an expression that passes too quickly for me to identify it);

20. avert your eyes/face/gaze – to turn your head away so that you do not see something (Hana sighs, keeping her eyes averted);

21. inflammatory – intended or likely to cause anger or hate (He codes the online access restrictions, so people can’t just write up false information or “inflammatory opinions”);

22. to weigh down on smb – to put pressure (the air was weighing down on me);

23. to sneak out – to go somewhere quietly because you do not want anyone to hear you (It will take my aunt sit bolt upright in her bed, ready to catch me and accuse me of trying to sneak out);

24. bargain – to try to make someone agree to something better for you (Every single floorboard quivers and shudders under my feet, and I start mentally bargaining with the house);

25. linger – to stay somewhere for a long time (Some cureds must be lingering at the Eastern Prom);

26. faint – to suddenly become unconscious for a short time, usually falling down onto the floor (All of a sudden, I think I might faint);

27. stammer – to pause a lot and repeat sounds because of a speech problem or because you are nervous (I stammer out as he catches up to me);

28. plod (along/on/through etc) – to walk with slow, heavy steps (I feel self-conscious as I plod down the rickety, salt-warped stairs); rickety – likely to break soon;

29. to stretch into/over smth - to continue for a long period of time (Every beat of silence seems to stretch into an infinity);

30. to go blank - if your mind goes blank, you suddenly cannot remember or think of something (but as usual my mind goes totally blank now that I actually need to function).

Best wishes,

Kate