Son
The thrilling fourth companion novel to THE GIVER which inspired the dystopian genre and is soon to be a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift.They called her Water Claire.When she washed up on their shore, no one knew that she came from a society where emotions don’t exist. That she had become a Vessel. That she had carried a Product. That it had been stolen from her body.Claire’s son is out there, a young boy now. 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.The startling and long-awaited conclusion to Lois Lowry’s award-winning epic series THE GIVER QUARTET culminates in a final clash between good and evil.
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HarperCollins Childrenâs Books An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
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London SE1 9GF
Published in the United States by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company in 2012
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Childrenâs Books in 2014
Copyright © Lois Lowry 2012
Cover design by Charles Brock, Faceout Studio
Lois Lowry asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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Source ISBN: 9780007597307
Ebook Edition © JULY 2014 ISBN: 9780007597314
Version: 2017-01-11
In memory of Martin
Table of Contents
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 didnât object. It was the procedure. She knew that. One of the other Vessels had described it to her at lunch a month before.
âMask?â she had asked in surprise, almost chuckling at the strange image. âWhatâs the mask for?â
âWell, itâs not really a mask,â the young woman seated on her left corrected herself, and took another bite of the crisp salad. âItâs a blindfold, actually.â She was whispering. They were not supposed to discuss this among themselves.
âBlindfold?â she had asked in astonishment, then laughed apologetically. âI donât seem to be able to converse, do I? I keep repeating what you say. But: blindfold? Why?â
âThey donât want you to see the Product when it comes out of you. When you birth it.â The girl pointed to her bulging belly.
âYouâve produced already, right?â she asked her.
The girl nodded. âTwice.â
âWhatâs it like?â Even asking it, she knew it was a somewhat foolish question. They had had classes, seen diagrams, been given instructions. Still, none of that was the same as hearing it from someone who had already gone through the process. And now that they were already disobeying the restriction about discussing itâwell, why not ask?
âEasier the second time. Didnât hurt as much.â
When she didnât respond, the girl looked at her quizzically. âHasnât anyone told you it hurts?â
âThey said âdiscomfort.ââ
The other girl gave a sarcastic snort. âDiscomfort, then. If thatâs what they want to call it. Not as much discomfort the second time. And it doesnât take as long.â
âVessels? VESSELS!â The voice of the matron, through the speaker, was stern. âMonitor your conversations, please! You know the rules!â
The girl and her companion obediently fell silent then, realizing they had been heard through the microphones embedded in the walls of the dining room. Some of the other girls giggled. They were probably also guilty. There was so little else to talk about. The processâtheir job, their missionâwas the thing they had in common. But the conversation shifted after the stern warning.
She had taken another spoonful of soup. Food in the Birthmothersâ Dormitory was always plentiful and delicious. The Vessels were all being meticulously nourished. Of course, growing up in the community, she had always been adequately fed. Food had been delivered to her familyâs dwelling each day.
But when she had been selected Birthmother at twelve, the course of her life had changed. It had been gradual. The academic coursesâmath, science, lawâat school became less demanding for her group. Fewer tests, less reading required. The teachers paid little attention to her.
