Book Review: Son

As I sat down to begin writing this review of Lois Lowry's conclusion to her powerful book, The Giver, I found myself wishing I had been writing my blog back when I read the second and third installments to this series (Gathering Blue, and Messenger).  I want to know how I felt after reading those two books.  I know that I absolutely loved The Giver.  It was a phenomenal book, with so much fodder for thought.  What I don't remember is how well I liked the other installments to this story.  Perhaps I should have read all three of them over again before approaching this final conclusive episode in the tale.

I have mixed feelings about Son.  On the one hand, Lois Lowry is such a fine writer that it seems wrong to say that this book could have been better, but that is somewhat how I feel.  I think the best review I read for this book was one written by Liz Rosenberg  for the Boston Globe.  I share these sentiments.

The book steps back in time to the birth mother who gives birth to Gabe.  In the dystopian world of The Giver, young girls are merely seen as "vessels" to carry a "product."  The leaders of society never anticipate the mistake of failing to put young Claire (the main character in this book) back on the pills which dull the senses from experiencing colors or emotions.  Thus, Claire, unlike the other vessels, feels an intense pull for her child, quite uncommon in that world.

I loved returning to the world of The Giver.  I feel that Lowry kept that portion consistent and clear.  However, this is just the beginning of the book.  After Claire learns that her son will be euthanized because he is not fitting the expectations of society, she is desperate to save her child.  The young "giver," Jonas, is the one who escapes with the child and Claire boards a ship hoping to catch up with him.  Instead she is washed ashore on a more primitive society.  There she is welcomed with love and nurtured until she is strong enough to go looking for her child.

This is the point where I began to feel not as drawn to the book.  The scenes of physical preparation for the challenge of leaving this primitive world (climbing an impossible cliff) were somewhat boring and mechanical.  I found myself wanting to skip over this bit and the part of the actual climb.

Then the book begins to lean towards a more magical side of life with the reappearance of the Trademaster (from one of the middle two books) who puts a spell on Claire.  I know this was necessary to add conflict and to reintroduce characters from the previous books, but it didn't seem satisfying to me.  Plus, Claire lingers on the edge of society without really introducing herself to this son she has been so thoroughly desperate to find.  It is only when Jonas (a weaker version of Jonas than we see in The Giver) intervenes that Claire is reunited with her son.

I liked how the book wove together all of the aspects from the other books, but still didn't think it was quite up to the level of mastery that Lois Lowry has displayed in the past.  Of course, it would be very difficult to be in her position, with the whole world awaiting the final conclusion to an absorbing series of books.  I still say that The Giver is my favorite book in this series and it is worth reading by itself. However, this book did make me want to go back and reread the earlier installments, so it certainly achieved success in rekindling my interest in the series.