Review Detail

Before dystopias became hot, there was the book THE GIVER. I still remember how much I loved this story with it's powerful, haunting message. A true classic. I read all the other books that followed and fell in love with the writing.

The next book, SON, is no exception.

Beautifully written, this story follows Claire, who is a birthmother and has a 'product'. Only she has issues with her pregnancy and is sent to a fishery as she can no longer be of use. Claire isn't like the others in her society. She still feels and longs to know what happened to her son. She finds him and what happens next is sure to pull on your heartstrings.

I love this series so much. Haunting images of a future intertwined with a mysterious and evil Trademaster who seems to pull the strings of people. The relationships aren't clear cut but rather complicated. In the beginning we see Claire as a twelve year old receiving her calling as a birthmother. Then we follow her through her struggles, trials, and even a bittersweet relationship with Einar, a crippled villager, who had his own run in with the mysterious Trademaster. We also see what happened to characters in previous novels such as Kira and Jonas. Lowry is able to weave in all her previous story lines into a very satisfying conclusion.


Claire's encounter with the Trademaster comes at a cost. I couldn't help but think what would someone give up in order to have their heart's desire? The Trademaster reminded me of Ray Bradbury's SOMETHING WICKED CAME THIS WAY with promises made at a cost.

SON is sure to become a classic. A very satisfying conclusion to an amazing series.