Son by Lois Lowry
Written by Lois Lowry, Son is the fourth book and conclusion to The Giver series. At the beginning of the book, Son takes place in the community, which is the same setting as The Giver. The book begins by introducing Claire, a young girl assigned the role of birthmother. Women assigned the job birthmother are prepared to have three products (babies). When the babies get old enough, they are assigned parents who raise them until they get old enough for a job assignment. When Claire is 12, she begins preparing for labor and at 15 years old she produces her first product. However, there is an issue during her labor and she is no longer qualified to have any more children. Because of this problem, Claire is tasked with a new job working in the fish hatchery.
Even though Claire is reassigned to a new role and everything seems quite normal, Claire feels different than before she had a child. She feels an urge to find her son. Claire goes to the nursery to reconnect with her child and eventually identifies him. Readers notice that the child is Gabriel from the first book in this series, The Giver. Claire visits Gabe at the nursery every once in a while, careful not to be identified as his mother. If she is, they will not let her see Gabriel anymore, as that type of feeling is not allowed in the community. One day, Claire is separated from Gabe. The rest of the book revolves around Claire’s journey to find her son, while simultaneously bringing the series to an end.
I think Son provided an adequate ending to The Giver series, however, if the book was longer, it would be possible to create a better ending that closes the series in a more satisfying way. The ending of Son did not quite feel like the ending to an entire series. One reason for this may be that in this book the author, Lois Lowry, introduced a new character, Claire. Although I enjoyed learning more about Gabriel’s history and appreciate the addition of Claire, her story should not have been the final book. Because each of the first three books have more or less different characters with their individual story lines, most readers would have hoped the last book in the series combines all of their stories and ties them together in a pleasing ending. Instead, the series ends with introducing an entirely new character and their journey. I like Son because it is interesting to receive an answer to one of the many questions that come with The Giver, about Gabriel’s past. The best way to finish this series would have been to create a book after Son to give readers a better idea of what happens after the book ends, and hopefully, give readers a happily ever after.
Even though Claire is reassigned to a new role and everything seems quite normal, Claire feels different than before she had a child. She feels an urge to find her son. Claire goes to the nursery to reconnect with her child and eventually identifies him. Readers notice that the child is Gabriel from the first book in this series, The Giver. Claire visits Gabe at the nursery every once in a while, careful not to be identified as his mother. If she is, they will not let her see Gabriel anymore, as that type of feeling is not allowed in the community. One day, Claire is separated from Gabe. The rest of the book revolves around Claire’s journey to find her son, while simultaneously bringing the series to an end.
I think Son provided an adequate ending to The Giver series, however, if the book was longer, it would be possible to create a better ending that closes the series in a more satisfying way. The ending of Son did not quite feel like the ending to an entire series. One reason for this may be that in this book the author, Lois Lowry, introduced a new character, Claire. Although I enjoyed learning more about Gabriel’s history and appreciate the addition of Claire, her story should not have been the final book. Because each of the first three books have more or less different characters with their individual story lines, most readers would have hoped the last book in the series combines all of their stories and ties them together in a pleasing ending. Instead, the series ends with introducing an entirely new character and their journey. I like Son because it is interesting to receive an answer to one of the many questions that come with The Giver, about Gabriel’s past. The best way to finish this series would have been to create a book after Son to give readers a better idea of what happens after the book ends, and hopefully, give readers a happily ever after.
Olive,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your commentary on the book and themes. I've read two books in the series, and I was always wondering how it ended. I liked learning about Gabriel's past, and ultimately also his future, as Jonas whisks him away from their society in search of a new and better life. Overall, you are very descriptive and concise. Nice job!