Starting off her career with Before I Fall (2010) to positive reviews, Oliver demonstrates her considerable talent, insight and ability to catch the attention of young readers, as she delves into the seemingly perfect world of popular girl Samantha Kingston after her death in a car accident.

Having worked for Penguin Books in the young adult’s division, where she would have gained valuable insight into what was selected and declined for publication, Oliver left to focus on writing her first book Before I Fall. Perhaps to consolidate her individuality, she chose to publish her work under the name Lauren Oliver instead of her birth name, publishing books that are mainly targeted towards young adults and children, all of which are highly imaginative and incorporate fantastical features. Although this may have been a helpful and influential factor towards her career, it is by no means indicative of a lack of personal identity as a writer. Her Father, aside from being a professor, is himself a published writer of true crime and has written essays on popular culture. Oliver, with a passion for reading went on to study Literature and Philosophy at the University of Chicago, subsequently returning to her home city of New York to attend a creative writing course at NYU.

With an upbringing in surroundings such as these, coupled with two parents both knowledgeable in literature and a house full of books, it seems as though Oliver had received from a young age the ideal push towards her career as a writer.

Born November 8th 1982 to a literary family, Lauren Oliver (Laura Suzanne Schechter) was encouraged to live expressively and imaginatively from a young age by creating her own stories, painting, and performing.

Pandemonium lauren oliver