Book Review - Son by Lois Lowry

They called her Water Claire. When she washed up on their shore, no one knew that she came from a society where emotions and colors didn't exist. That she had becomes a Vessel at age thirteen. That she had carried a Product at age fourteen. That it had been stolen from her body. Claire had a son. But what became of him she never knew. What was his name? Was he even alive? She was supposed to forget him., but that was impossible. Now Claire will stop at nothing to find her child, even if it means making an unimaginable sacrifice. 

I read The Giver (published in 1993) in my college Young Adult Lit class. I read it in one day, on a Saturday, because I could not put it down. I loved that book. It was one of those books that stays with you long after you read the last page. A book where you think about the characters and wonder what happened to them. It wasn't until a few years ago that I discovered Lois Lowry had written two more books in The Giver series. I read on her website that she had so many people wanting to know what happened to the characters that she decided to write more books, Gathering Blue (2000) and Messenger (2004). They are all books that can stand alone, but when read together the stories and characters are woven together in such an amazing way. Son, the final book of the series, came out this year, 19 years after the first book. I find it interesting how much time passed between the writing of these books. I wish more writers would take more time when writing a series. I think writers rush and publishers push and in between something gets lost in the storytelling. Son takes the reader back to the same community as in the first book and back to the original character, but in a new way. Claire is introduced in the last book and it is through her story that the characters from all four books are reunited. This was one of the best series of books I have ever read, better than Hunger Games, Maze Runner and, yes, even Twilight (especially Twilight). For me, these are on my list of books that I could read over and over again. Hopefully, someone (Mom!) will get the hint and get me the set for Christmas. Click here if you want to purchase Son