Son

Okay, so we have finally reached the last book in this series by Lois Lowry: Son.

Very simple title, but it is exactly what the entire book revolves around.

Claire is a 13-year-old Birthmother in Jonas's community - at this point in Claire's story, Jonas has yet to leave his community.

So Claire, just a young girl, is giving birth. She is experiencing pain for the very first time.

And then something goes wrong.

Though both Claire and her son survive, two dreadful things happen at once. First, like normal, her child is taken from her. Second, very decidedly not normal, Claire is told that she was never fit to be a Birthmother in the first place and is sent packing.

At first, Claire struggles to accept her new life as normal, struggles to fit in among her new coworkers and the fish they all work with. She also struggles with the guilt that told her she failed.

However, she cannot forget her son.

She finds him in the Nursery and, against all odds and probably a dozen rules, begins to take an active part in his life.

But although Claire gets away with all of these rule infractions, gets away with actually caring, her son is not so lucky. Simply because he cannot sleep well at night, the higher-ups have decided to get rid of him.

And then Jonas steals the child away in the night.

Claire, heartbroken that her son is gone, runs away as well. Beneath all the tears, however, she is fully determined to find him again.