Gathering Blue (Giver Quartet, #2)

by Lois Lowry

[clementine]

An unpopular opinion, I know, but I think I actually enjoy Gathering Blue more than The Giver. I find The Giver to be more allegorical than anything, and while it is a book that I enjoy and find compelling, I think it's a bit underdeveloped compared to Gathering Blue.

The world in Gathering Blue is so much richer to me. I could picture the conditions that Kira lived in, and the social system of her society was also clear to me. The various "areas" of her little society - the Fields, the forest, etc - were very clear in my mind, and I felt like that world was developed quite well. Gathering Blue may be more overtly disturbing than The Giver, but there are also some more subtle chilling moments - things that are hinted at but not explored in great detail, such as the circumstances surrounding Annabella's death. The ending is perfect - such a good fusion between Kira's world and that of The Giver, with a possible hint that gives some sense of closure to The Giver (which, obviously, has a rather ambiguous ending). I like the characters and find them to be more lifelike (although of course the less developed characters make sense in the highly regulated world of The Giver), and they add a depth to the story. Kira herself may not be the most compelling protagonist, but I think her more passive role makes sense in the context of her place in the society. Her friends really do enrich the novel. I also enjoy that her two friends are male, and there's no hint at romance. They can just be friends. This is essentially unheard of in contemporary YA dystopian.

I think there are a few things that a reader could probably see coming - although it's hard for me to tell, since I've read it before. I'd forgotten most of the details (probably read it 6 or 7 years ago), but some of the things I "predicted" I'd probably remembered from my first read. Either way, I don't think the plot is particularly nuanced, and there are no real curveballs (I guess the biggest surprise would be Christopher still being alive, but I feel that a lot of readers would be able to predict that), but it's interesting nonetheless.

I really like how different Kira's world is from the society presented in The Giver, and I like that the end of the book provides a bridge between the two. I know Gathering Blue is a companion to The Giver, and I think it's probably richest when read that way, but it also would completely work as a standalone novel. It's definitely a solid book - probably best for middle-grade readers, but still really enjoyable quite a few years after I originally read it.