delirium stories

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For the first time, Lauren Oliver's short stories about characters in the Delirium
world appear in print.
The short-story collection companion to Lauren Oliver’s New York Times bestselling trilogy about
forbidden love, revolution, and the power to choose. Now with a brand-new cover and an exclusive-
to-this-book sneak peek at her next novel for teens: the ambitious, wholly original
masterwork Replica.

Lauren Oliver’s short stories about Hana, Annabel, Raven, and Alex expand and enrich the Delirium
world, illuminating events and characters through new perspectives.

Hana adds nuance to the life-changing summer before best friends Lena and Hana are to be cured—a
moment when the girls’ paths diverge and their futures are altered forever.

Annabel untangles the mysteries surrounding Lena’s mother, detailing her journey from teenage
runaway to prisoner of the state.

Raven crackles with the intensity of its title character, the fierce leader of a rebel group in the Wilds
who plays an integral role in the resistance.

And Alex explains what happened to Lena’s first love after the events of Delirium, as well as the dark
past that he has tried to forget.

EXCERPTS
FROM HANA:

"Strangely enough, this is what I dream about now, the summer before my cure, during the last
summer that will ever be truly mine to enjoy. I dream about sledding. That's what it's like to barrel
forward toward September, to speed toward the day when I will no longer be troubled by amor
delirium nervosa.

It is like being on a sled in the middle of a cutting wind. I am breathless and terrified; I will soon be
engulfed by whiteness and suctioned into another world. Good-bye, Hana."

FROM ANNABEL:

"But Lena… little darling Lena, with her tangle of dark hair and her flushed, chubby cheeks. She
used to rescues spiders format he pavement to keep them from getting squashed; quiet, thoughtful
Lena, with the sweetest lisp to break your heart. To break my heart: my wild, uncured, erratic,
incomprehensible heart. I wonder whether her front teeth still overlap; whether she still confuses the
words pretzel and pencil occasionally; whether the wispy brown hair grew straight and long, or
began to curl.

I wonder if she believes the lies they told her.

I, too, am a liar now. I've become one, of necessity. I lie when I smile and return an empty tray. I lie
when I ask for The Book of Shhh, pretending to have repented. I lie just by being here, on my cot, in
the dark. Soon, it will be over. Soon I will escape. And then the lies will end."

FROM RAVEN:

"Here are the top three things I've learned in my twenty-two years on the planet:

 1. Never wipe your butt with poison ivy.

 2. People are like ants: Just a few of them give all the orders. And most of them spend their
lives getting squashed.
 3. There are no happy endings, only breaks in the regular action. Of all of them, number three
is really the only one you have to keep in mind."

 Delirium is a dystopian young adult novel written by Lauren Oliver, published

on January 1, 2011, by HarperCollins (HarperTeen), about a young girl, Lena
Haloway, who falls in love in a society where love is seen as a disease. The
novel is the first part of a trilogy, followed by Pandemonium.
 Date of first publication: January 1, 2011
 Genre: Young adult fiction

Delirium (Oliver novel) Delirium is a dystopian young adult novel written by Lauren

Oliver, published on January 1, 2011, by HarperCollins (HarperTeen), about a young
girl, Lena Haloway, who falls in love in a society where love is seen as a disease. The
novel is the first part of a trilogy, followed by Pandemonium.

For the first time, Lauren Oliver's short stories about characters in the Delirium world
appear in print. Originally published as digital novellas, Hana, Annabel, and Raven each
center around a fascinating and complex character who adds important information to
the series and gives it greater depth. This collection also includes an excerpt
from Requiem, the final novel in Oliver's New York Times bestselling series.
Hana is told through the perspective of Lena's best friend, Hana Tate. Set during the
tumultuous summer before Lena and Hana are supposed to be cured, this story is a
poignant and revealing look at a moment when the girls' paths diverge and their futures
are altered forever.
Lena's mother, Annabel, has always been a mystery—a ghost from Lena's past—until
now. Her journey from teenage runaway to prisoner of the state is a taut, gripping
narrative that expands the Delirium world and illuminates events—and Lena—through a
new point of view.
And as the passionate, fierce leader of a rebel group in the Wilds, Raven plays an
integral role in the resistance effort and comes into Lena's life at a crucial time.
Crackling with intensity, Raven is a brilliant story told in the voice of one of the strongest
and most tenacious characters in the Delirium world.
Monday, March 18, 2013

Short Story Reviews:

ANNABEL, HANA, RAVEN and
Alex (Delirium Short Stories)
by Lauren Oliver
In which I attempt to review all of the Delirium short stories in one post :) 

ANNABEL
(Delirium #0.5)
by Lauren Oliver
Release date: December 26th, 2012
Published by: Harper Teen
Genre: Young Adult - Dystopian
Format read: eBook
 SUMMARY

Lena's mother, Annabel, has always been a mystery—a ghost in Lena's past. Until now.

Discover her secrets in Lauren Oliver's brilliant original digital story set in the world of New York
Times bestsellers Delirium and Pandemonium.

Lena Halloway's mother, Annabel, supposedly committed suicide when Lena was only six years old. That's
the lie that Lena grew up believing, but the truth is very different. As a rebellious teenager, Annabel ran
away from home and straight into the man she knew she was destined to marry. The world was different
then—the regulations not as stringent, the cure only a decade old. Fast forward to the present, and
Annabel is consigned to a dirty prison cell, where she nurtures her hope of escape and scratches one word
over and over into the walls: Love.

But Annabel, like Lena, is a fighter. Through chapters that alternate between her past and present,
Annabel reveals the story behind her failed cures, her marriage, the births of her children, her
imprisonment, and, ultimately, her daring escape.
 MY REVIEW

Annabel's story is very similar to the way Pandemonium was told in that it takes place in the present -
Annabel's time in the crypts and her escape - and then flashes back to the past - when Annabel fell in
love and then was cured, and then how she continued to love - to help us understand why Annabel was
the way she was, what she went through for love, and freedom.
Annabel's story is filled with such sadness. And after all the things that she has gone through, Annabel
still believes and will fight for the right to choose, for the right to be able to love freely.
The similarities between Annabel and Lena's story to survive and thrive really surprised me. It was
amazing to see how much Lena's personality coincided with her mothers; although Annabel did seem a
but more innocent and naive, even though she had more street experience than Lena.

It was great to get to know Lena's mother more. It helped me understand why she did the things she
did throughout the series. I suggest that Annabel be read after Delirium. I'm glad that I did because
everything just made more sense.

________________________________________________________________

HANA
(Delirium #1.5)
by Lauren Oliver
Release date: February 28th, 2012
Published by: Harper Teen
Genre: Young Adult - Dystopian
Format read: eBook
 SUMMARY

Lauren Oliver's riveting, original digital story set in the world of her New York Times bestseller Delirium.

The summer before they're supposed to be cured of the ability to love, best friends Lena and Hana begin
to drift apart. While Lena shies away from underground music and parties with boys, Hana jumps at her
last chance to experience the forbidden. For her, the summer is full of wild music, dancing—and even her
first kiss.

But on the surface, Hana must be a model of perfect behavior. She meets her approved match, Fred
Hargrove, and glimpses the safe, comfortable life she’ll have with him once they marry. As the date for her
cure draws ever closer, Hana desperately misses Lena, wonders how it feels to truly be in love, and is
simultaneously terrified of rebelling and of falling into line.

In this digital story that will appeal to fans of Delirium and welcome new admirers to its world, readers
will come to understand scenes from Delirium through Hana's perspective. Hana is a touching and
 revealing look at a life-changing and tumultuous summer.

MY REVIEW

After Lena and Hana have their evaluations and get matched, they start to grow apart and their
relationship starts to deteriorate. In Hana's story, we get to see what Hana went through in Delirium.
Hana is a lot more outgoing, vibrant and free-spirited than Lena. She has been having her doubts about
the cure and what is expected from her. Hana's life isn't as perfect as Lena made it out to be. Just
because someone is more privileged, it doesn't mean that they don't have the same worries or dreams.
Hana and another school friend decide to check out these underground parties. She loves music. And,
she meets a boy.
Does he love her? Has she been infected? Does she love him?
Will it be worth to lose herself in the disease?

I really liked being able to see what Hana went through while Lena was spending time with Alex and
trying to figure things out for herself. It was great to see that Hana wasn't as perfect as everyone thought
she was.

Hana should be read after Delirium. There is a lot that I wouldn't have understood if I read it prior to it.

________________________________________________________________

RAVEN
(Delirium #2.5)
by Lauren Oliver
Release date: March 5th, 2013
Published by: Harper Teen
Genre: Young Adult - Dystopian
 Format read: eBook

SUMMARY

This captivating 50-page digital-original story set in the world of Lauren Oliver’s New York Times
bestselling Delirium series focuses on Raven, the fiery leader of a rebel group in the Wilds.

As a teenager, Raven made the split-second decision to flee across the border to the Wilds, compelled to
save an abandoned newborn—a baby girl left for dead and already blue from the cold. When she and the
baby are taken in by a band of rebels, Raven finds herself an outsider within a tight-knit group. The only
other newcomer is an untrustworthy boy known as the Thief until he finally earns himself a new name:
Tack.

Now she and Tack are inseparable, committed to each other, the fledgling rebellion, and a future together.
But as they both take center stage in the fight, Raven must decide whether the dangers of the revolution
are worth risking her dreams of a peaceful life with Tack.

As her story hurtles back and forth between past and present, Raven transforms from a scared girl newly
 arrived in the Wilds to the tough leader who helps Lena save former Deliria-Free poster boy Julian
Fineman from a death sentence. Whatever the original mission may have been, Raven abides by a
conviction that she believes to her core: You always return for the people you love.

By turns surprising, revelatory, and poignant, Raven’s story enriches the Delirium world and resonates
with a voice that is as vulnerable as it is strong.

FAVORITE QUOTES

"Lies are just stories, and stories are all that matter.
We all tell stories. Some are more truthful than others. 
Maybe, in the end the only thing that counts is what you make people believe."
~ Raven

MY REVIEW

Raven can be read after Pandemonium; but I chose to read it after Requiem, and, I couldn't stop crying
for quite a while. Raven's story is heart-breaking. But, I wouldn't change it for anything - everything that
she went through is what made her into the Raven that we got to know and love... we see a totally
different side to Raven. We actually get to find out what she was thinking and going through in the last
half of Pandemonium. Everything that she did makes so much more sense now. 
Also, I really liked that we got a peek into Raven and Tack's relationship - got to see how they met and
how they ended up together. We also get to see how she found Blue and the special relationship and
bond that they shared... my heart aches for all three characters, so very much.

In my honest opinion, in order to get the full effect of Raven's story - really feel for her - I would definitely
wait to read it after you have finished reading the series. 
 ________________________________________________________________

And don't forget! You can get all three short stories in one paperback now!!!

DELIRIUM STORIES: Hana, Annabel and Raven

by Lauren Oliver
Release date: March 5th, 2013
Published by: Harper Teen
Genre: Young Adult - Dystopian

SUMMARY
 For the first time, Lauren Oliver's short stories about characters in the Delirium world appear in print.
Originally published as digital novellas, Hana, Annabel, and Raven each center around a fascinating and
complex character who adds important information to the series and gives it greater depth. This collection
also includes an excerpt from Requiem, the final novel in Oliver's New York Times bestselling series.

Hana is told through the perspective of Lena's best friend, Hana Tate. Set during the tumultuous summer
before Lena and Hana are supposed to be cured, this story is a poignant and revealing look at a moment
when the girls' paths diverge and their futures are altered forever.

Lena's mother, Annabel, has always been a mystery - a ghost from Lena's past--until now. Her journey
from teenage runaway to prisoner of the state is a taut, gripping narrative that expands the Delirium
world and illuminates events - and Lena - through a new point of view.

And as the passionate, fierce leader of a rebel group in the Wilds, Raven plays an integral role in the
resistance effort and comes into Lena's life at a crucial time. Crackling with intensity, Raven is a brilliant
story told in the voice of one of the strongest and most tenacious characters in the Delirium world.

________________________________________________________________

Bonus: Alex
(found in the first hardcover prints of Requiem)
by Lauren Oliver
Release date: March 5th, 2013
Published by: Harper Teen
Genre: Young Adult - Dystopian

FAVORITE QUOTE

"Maybe, the hope said. Maybe."

~ Alex

MY REVIEW
 Alex. If anyone truly knows how to love, it is definitely Alex.
I don't know how Lauren Oliver was able to channel Alex, so deeply, moving, without falling into
depression and hiding in a cave for a month. This boy brought me to my knees and I cried through his
whole story.
Alex tells us about what happened to him at the end of Delirium. And then proceeds to explain what he
went through in Pandemonium. How he miraculously survives and what kept him going. His need to find
out if his love survived the wilds, or not.
There was never a doubt in my mind that he didn't love Lena. And this proved it.

Your going to need a box of tissues when you read about Alex. Don't say I didn't warn you. 

________________________________________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Lauren Oliver

Lauren Oliver comes from a family of writers and so has always (mistakenly) believed that spending hours
in front of the computer every day, mulling over the difference between “chortling” and “chuckling,” is
normal. She has always been an avid reader. 

She attended the University of Chicago, where she continued to be as impractical as possible by majoring
in philosophy and literature. After college, she attended the MFA program at NYU and worked briefly as
the world’s worst editorial assistant, and only marginally better assistant editor, at a major publishing
 house in New York. Her major career contributions during this time were flouting the corporate dress
code at every possible turn and repeatedly breaking the printer. Before I Fall is her first published novel. 

She is deeply grateful for the chance to continue writing, as she has never been particularly good at
anything else.

Official website, Blog/Tumblr, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter

Join us here!!!

Let's chat on the Epic Reads DELIRIUM forum found HERE!!! 

Posted by Bumbles and Fairy-Tales at 10:00 PM 

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Adult

4 comments:

1.

UnknownMarch 18, 2013 at 10:59 PM

 ALL of these stories sound so good! I want to read them all.

Reply

2.

Melissa (My World...in words and pages)March 19, 2013 at 8:04 PM

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing about all these. :) I'm going to have to add this series to
the ever growing list. ;) Thank you!

Reply

3.

UnknownMay 21, 2013 at 9:39 PM

where can I read the Alex story? I can't find it anywhere! ): thanks

Reply

Replies

1.

Bumbles and Fairy-TalesMay 21, 2013 at 11:52 PM

Alex's story can be found in the back of the first hardcover prints of
REQUIEM :)

Reply

Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment today!

If you are asking a question and you are a no-reply commenter,
please email me directly at thebumblegirl at rocketmail dot com or leave your email in the comments...
ABOUT THE BOOK

Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. Before the cure, the disease
of love—the deliria—ran rampant; once it infected you, there was no escaping its hold. But things are
different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens
receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena can’t wait for her eighteenth birthday, for a life without
love and without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But with ninety-five days left until her
treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love. Her relationship with Alex, a boy from the Wilds
who is living under the government’s radar, threatens both of their lives. It also leads Lena to the truth
about her family, her government, her feelings, and the incredible power of being able to say “I love
you.” A

1. List the symptoms of amor deliria nervosa. How dangerous are they? What would lead someone to
classify love as a disease? Do you agree that, in some ways, love could be thought of as a disease? Why
or why not?

2. Lena says that some years ago, the government broadcast film of a girl jumping off a roof to avoid
being cured. What kind of government would broadcast such a warning to its citizens? What does Lena’s
government want for its people? What would motivate people to be evaluators, guards, or regulators in
such a government?

3. The Book of Shhh says “marriage is Order and Stability, the mark of a Healthy society” (p. 11). What
role do you think marriage plays in Lena’s society? What role do you think marriage plays in today’s
society? Is love an important part of marriage? Should people be able to marry whomever they want?
Why, or why not?

4. Before the evaluations, an unhappy Hana says that if her government really wanted people to be
happy, “they’d let us pick” (p. 20). What do you think of the idea of having a pre-determined, worry-free
life planned out for you? Do you need to make your own choices in order to be happy? Why, or why
not?

5. Lena longs for “the promise of the cure,” which she describes as “the chance to be reborn: newer,
fresher, better. Healed and whole and perfect again” (p. 112). If given the chance, would you want to be
cured? What are some reasons why a person might wish to undergo the treatment?

6. Describe Hana and Lena’s relationship and the role that jealousy plays in their friendship. Are you ever
jealous of your friends? What effect does that have on your behavior or your feelings for them?

7. Near the beginning of the story, Lena says that the words I love you are “strange and terrible” (p. 40).
Why? How do Lena’s feelings about those words change during the course of the story? Lena Haloway
has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. Before the cure, the disease of love—the
deliria—ran rampant; once it infected you, there was no escaping its hold. But things are different now.
Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure
upon turning eighteen. Lena can’t wait for her eighteenth birthday, for a life without love and without
pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena
does the unthinkable: She falls in love. Her relationship with Alex, a boy from the Wilds who is living
under the government’s radar, threatens both of their lives. It also leads Lena to the truth about her
family, her government, her feelings, and the incredible power of being able to say “I love you.” ABOUT
THE BOOK D

8. Describe Lena’s memories of her mother. The things they did together are viewed as dangerous in
Lena’s society. Do you have childhood memories that are similar to Lena’s? What do you think your life
would be like if those memories were inextricably linked to feelings of wrongdoing and guilt? How do
things change for Lena when she discovers the truth about her mother?

9. At the barn party, Lena describes music and a singing voice “as thick and heavy as warm honey,
spilling up and down a scale” (p. 123). What kind of music do you think she is hearing? Why would the
government ban music or other works of art? Alex tells Lena that the music and the parties are all right
because “nobody’s hurting anybody” (p. 133). Do you agree?

10. In Lena’s society, uncured girls are segregated from uncured boys. Imagine if you were a teenage girl
and never allowed to spend time around boys who were uncured. What effect would that have on you?
How would it change your life? Would you try to rebel against society’s rules, knowing the
consequences?

11. The government’s raids are incredibly invasive, and Lena says that “private property laws are
suspended on raid nights. Pretty much every law is suspended on raid nights” (p. 202). Why do the
citizens allow such raids to take place? Would you know if your government was headed in this
direction? Would you be able to turn things around? How would you go about it?

12. As Lena walks away from Riley, her neighbors’ dog, as he dies, all she can think is, “I’m sorry, I’m
sorry, I’m sorry” (p. 209). Why is she sorry? If you follow the rules in a society like Lena’s, are you
complicit in all the bad things that happen?

13. Alex refers to the government’s tactics as “smoke and mirrors” (p. 270). What does he mean? Do
you agree? What does it take to keep people obedient?

14. Lena says she’s glad she has “lost control” (p. 311), and she begins to think that while love can be
painful, “the pain only makes it better, more intense, more worth it” (p. 265). Do you recognize these
feelings? Do you agree that it’s necessary to lose control or feel pain in order to be happy?

15. What role does The Book of Shhh play in Lena’s society? How have works such as the Bible or Romeo
and Juliet been changed in order to fit the needs of Lena’s government? 16. What clues indicate the
time period in which the story is set? Do you interpret Delirium as taking place in the future, or in an
alternate version of the present? 17. Research the term dystopian fiction. What is a dystopia? Read the
first chapter of another dystopian novel or a short story (some ideas: Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison
Bergeron,” Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, George Orwell’s 1984, or Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger
Games). What similarities and differences do you see compared to Delirium? Love

About author

Lauren Oliver, a graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU’s MFA program, lives in Brooklyn, New
York. Her first novel, Before I Fall, was a New York Times bestseller. She is also the author of the New
York Times bestsellers Delirium and Pandemonium, the first two books in a trilogy that concludes with
Requiem. You can visit her online and read her blog at

Neuropathogenesis of Delirium: Review

of Current Etiologic Theories and Common
Pathways
Author links open overlay panelJosé R.MaldonadoM.D., F.A.P.M., F.A.C.F.E.
Show more

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2013.09.005Get rights and content

Delirium is a neurobehavioral syndrome caused by dysregulation of neuronal activity
secondary to systemic disturbances. Over time, a number of theories have been
proposed in an attempt to explain the processes leading to the development of
delirium. Each proposed theory has focused on a specific mechanism or pathologic
process (e.g., dopamine excess or acetylcholine deficiency theories), observational
and experiential evidence (e.g., sleep deprivation, aging), or empirical data (e.g.,
specific pharmacologic agents’ association with postoperative delirium, intraoperative
hypoxia). This article represents a review of published literature and summarizes the
top seven proposed theories and their interrelation. This review includes the
“neuroinflammatory,” “neuronal aging,” “oxidative stress,” “neurotransmitter
deficiency,” “neuroendocrine,” “diurnal dysregulation,” and “network
disconnectivity” hypotheses. Most of these theories are complementary, rather than
competing, with many areas of intersection and reciprocal influence. The literature
suggests that many factors or mechanisms included in these theories lead to a final
common outcome associated with an alteration in neurotransmitter synthesis,
function, and/or availability that mediates the complex behavioral and cognitive
changes observed in delirium. In general, the most commonly described
neurotransmitter changes associated with delirium include deficiencies in
acetylcholine and/or melatonin availability; excess in dopamine, norepinephrine,
and/or glutamate release; and variable alterations (e.g., either a decreased or increased
activity, depending on delirium presentation and cause) in serotonin, histamine,
and/or γ-aminobutyric acid. In the end, it is unlikely that any one of these theories is
fully capable of explaining the etiology or phenomenologic manifestations of delirium
but rather that two or more of these, if not all, act together to lead to the biochemical
derangement and, ultimately, to the complex cognitive and behavioral changes
characteristic of delirium.