Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry, is the sequel following the book, The Giver, and describes the struggles of a girl, named Kira, in a dystopian/post-apocalyptic village. Kira’s mother recently passed away, and Kira is given the role of “designer of the future” since her weaving skills surpass the ability of her deceased mother. Kira’s objective is to complete the Singer’s robe by weaving unfinished parts of the robe, but while doing so, she discovers dark truths of her village that will change her perspective of her home. Regarding the plot itself, I see this being quite similar to The Giver’s plot, but I do enjoy how Lois Lowry introduces new perspectives on similar topics that The Giver conveys (although I should not be surprised about the similarities as it is the sequel of The Giver). Gathering Blue is a very interesting book because Kira has a tragic backstory: her mother passed away, her father was killed by beasts in the Field, and she is partially disabled and scorned by her village due to her twisted leg. In contrast with Jonas, the main character from The Giver, he had barely to no backstory of him. The truths revealed to Kira throughout the story are vile and despairing, but far less gruesome than the truths revealed in The Giver, but I find the truths in The Giver to be far more intriguing as the truths drastically changed the way Jonas and the reader view his society. Also, the ending, again, leaves the reader wondering about Kira’s future as it does not specify what exactly happened next. This makes readers think and conclude their own prediction of what happens next, which I do like how Lowry implements this, likewise at the end of The Giver. My only problem with this book is it heavily alludes to the first book in terms of past characters and motifs and themes. That knowledge is key to realizing the connection Gathering Blue and The Giver have and what to expect for the next two books in The Giver series. Luckily, I read The Giver before, but I know that not everyone had the chance to read it. In spite of the problems with sequels like Gathering Blue, it is definitely a great and worthwhile read (and I’m going to say this again) only if you have read the first book, which is also a solid book to read.
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