Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry

Published: 1993

Length:  223 pages

Genre:  Dystopia, Young Adult

Where Found: Borrowed from my local library

Summary:
"There was absolutely nothing remarkable about the apple. Jonas has tossed it back and forth between his hands a few times, then thrown it. And - in the air, for an instant only - it had changed."


Jonas lives safely within the community, a place where there is no war, no hunger and no pain. But when he is selected as the Receiver of Memory, her starts to discover dark secrets that lie beneath the surface of his perfect world, secrets that will lead him to undertake an incredible journey...


Review:
I'm positive that I'm missing something. Because people adore and RAVE this book. 
I really wanted to like this book, but just couldn't quite get there. I can only stretch this to an OK book. The story, the setting, hell even the characters are... sparse, lacking and not at all as fleshed out as it could (and should) have been.   


I'm not really enjoying reading at the moment. I'm in a reading rut, and I only picked this book up because it's already over due and I thought I'd try and finish it so it can be returned. 


Ok so far this review is.. not making much sense and is even confusing me. I'm flitting from one thing to another. 
Let me lay it out like this.


Problems I had with this book:
1. I couldn't properly connect with any of the characters. Not even the main character Jonas. We don't get to really know his family or friends. I mean at the start of the novel you are introduced to Jonas friends, Asher and Fiona and you assume they will play greater roles in the book than they do. My favourite character in this novel was actually the baby Gabriel. 


2. Frankly I didn't fully understand this book or the bloody ending - I mean WTF! Is it meant to be symbolic or something? My brain doesnt pick up symbolism easily.. that may be part of the problem.... But still.. bit of a shoddy ending.

3. The book is shortish at around 200 pages. A lot happens but nothing really HAPPENS. Does that make sense?


4. No real explanation of Jonas' world. The book started off very mysterious. And that was fine.. but THERE WAS NO REAL EXPLANATION OF.. well ANYTHING.


5. The more I try to understand this book.. the less I can. Making me like it even less.


Overall.. it was an OK book. I'm glad I read it. And I hope to re-read it some day and get the full meaning. 


And may this review go in the Hall of Bad reviews.




This book counts towards the Book in the Day Mini Challenge = 10 points