What would the world be like if it was without pain, emotion, stress, or hunger? What if every decision in daily life was made by a committee? Imagine a world where there are no freedoms or independence and every minute of every day is scheduled and standardized; this is the world that is created by author Lois Lowry in The Giver.



The main character in The Giver in a 12-year-old boy named Jonas. He is a very polite and friendly boy and follows all of the numerous rules set in the community just like every other citizen. But there are some mysterious qualities about Jonas that sets him apart from the “sameness” that holds the community intact. The most prominent feature portraying Jonas’ differences are his pale eyes; every other citizen in the community has identical physical characteristics, which includes a pair of dark brown eyes, not pale. Jonas’ pale eyes give him a special ability that no one else in the community possesses, the ability to “see beyond.” This ability captures the attention of the committee of elders and Jonas is assigned to be the next Receiver of Memory and study under the watchful eye of his mentor, the Giver.

The best quality that this book has is its suspenseful and gripping tone. Lowry does an excellent job of telling her story by constantly leaving questions unanswered and forcing you to turn to the next page to see what happens next. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fiction at its best and likes looking at events from a different point of view.