There are three books. All of them “companion novels” to themselves. Why? Sure, Messenger crosses over the other two books into one story, but that would make it a sequel; that can’t be the case. Fortunately, if there’s one thing to be learned from reading these books, it’s how to go deeper. Analyzing the three books, and looking at the different plot points, a common thread seems to be that each book has a mix of conflict types, man vs self, man vs society, and man vs nature. Following the “man vs self” thread, Jonas from The Giver had to cope with all the painful memories of the past and let go of his lifestyle of unquestioning obedience. In Gathering Blue, Kira had to cope with the death of her mother and her twisted leg, and at the same