First sentence: The young girl cringed when they buckled the eyeless leather mask around the upper half of her face and blinded her. It felt grotesque and unnecessary, but she didn’t object. It was the procedure. She knew that.
Premise/plot: Claire is a Vessel, a birthmother, that was her assignment given at the Ceremony of Twelves. At fourteen she gives birth—or should I say delivered of—her Product. There is no he or she, no baby—just a product. They are not mothers but vessels. No maternal feelings or bonds allowed or encouraged. Claire is a misfit indeed since she can’t stop thinking about *her* baby, her son, number 36. Claire shocked the system in that she didn’t give birth naturally, her product had to be cut out of her. Claire is rejected from the program and reassigned to the fish hatchery. She pursues a connection with her son, wanting more, always more. Love may be a strange phenomenon in this cold and cruel community, but Claire is infected all the same. When Jonas takes the baby (toddler really since this is his second December), Claire is overwhelmed with emotion.
Son has three parts. The first and third sections are set in familiar communities. The first is where Jonas and Gabe escaped from. The third is the Village where Jonas lives as Leader—happily married to Kira. The second is a community new to readers. This is where Claire spends five to seven years, preparing herself for her journey to find her son. She will do antibiotics to find him and know he’s okay.
My thoughts: In the Giver, I, as a reader, was so focused on Jonas and his story, on the horror of the releases—new and young—that I didn’t think much about the other assignments, particularly the birthmothers. Son changes that. Claire’s story starts two to three years prior to The Giver.
This is an emotional read!!! I definitely love the series. The Giver remains my absolute favorite. One thing worth noting is that every single book has a different narrator, different style, different message, different tone. No two books are alike. Son unites the series and does a lovely job completing the story.
© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
1 comment:
This is the only one in this series that I haven't read yet. But I really need to! :)
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