Amazon.com Review

Before I Fall, throws readers into a tightly controlled society where options don’t exist, and shows not only the lengths one will go for a chance at freedom, but also the true meaning of sacrifice. --_Jessica Schein_

Amazon Exclusive: Lauren Oliver’s Delirium Playlist
(Click on the song name to listen to a sample)

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This song sounds so passionate and desperate, and I think it’s one of those magical songs that sounds like it was written with my characters in mind (if only!).

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Taylor Swift always perfectly captures the feeling of isolation, of not fitting in. She nails it in this song.

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The title is perfect and the sound is great for energizing me at the start of a writing session. And seriously, Delirium could have had this as a sub-title!

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I love listening to Tegan and Sara and their moody—but somehow optimistic—songs. The title couldn’t be more a propos, obviously.

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This song is all about trying to be strong and self-sufficient—to deny the interdependence of people. I definitely think the characters in Delirium are trying to be rocks, and often not succeeding.

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She asks over and over, Will you feel anything at all? Enough said.

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I listened to it the first time just because of the title . . . and lo and behold! It’s also just a great song. On a side note: The cover art is fabulous and also Delirium-esque.

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This is one of those anthems that pushes you forward—a good post break-up song but also a good song for remembering you’re in control of your own destiny.

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I picture this song playing during some of the quieter, more intimate scenes in Delirium. It kind of brings to mind the idea of a secret space, be it physical or just internal.

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Full disclosure: This song is often on repeat on my iPod. Great song for fighting back, pushing through, and being an individual.

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Blues Traveler is so underrated—it’s ridiculous. And this is my favorite of their unknown songs. The time is now and you don’t have long… So true, man. So true!

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Even Ani knows the power of the color grey!

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James is a young musician I know from NYC. When I hear this song, I imagine him as Alex, playing a song to Lena—maybe while they're in the Wilds! His sound is so stripped-down and also so honest.

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Nothing like some old school romance—they knew how to do it back in the day. This reminds me of a song Lena’s mom would have liked.

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There’s something scary about this song. It’s so foreboding and passionate—and I love it.

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I think I might be in love with Mr. W. His voice is downright haunting and this is a perfect walking-around-NYC-with-my-headphones-on-and-thinking-about-the-meaning-of-life song. Trust me.

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From

Oliver’s follow-up to her smash debut, Before I Fall (2010), is another deft blend of realism and fantasy. The hook is irresistible: it’s the near future, a time when love has long since been identified as a disease called amor deliria nervosa, and 17-year-old Lena is 95 days away from the operation that everyone gets to cure themselves. Can you feel the swoon coming? Enter Alex, a rakish daredevil who, as it turns out, is one of the Invalids—a tribe of uncured who live on the lam in the surrounding wilderness. With the clock ticking down to her surgery, Lena is drawn into Alex’s world, one of passion and freedom, while her emotionally castrated family members hope to turn her into yet another complacent zombie. Oliver’s masterstroke is making a strong case for love as disease: the anxiety, depression, insomnia, and impulsive behavior of the smitten do smack of infirmity. The story bogs down as it revels in romance—Alex is standard-issue perfection—but the book never loses its A Clockwork Orange–style bite regarding safety versus choice. Grades 9-12. --Daniel Kraus