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A review by katykelly
Between the Lines by Samantha van Leer, Jodi Picoult
4.0
4.5 stars
A perfect read for the perfect-aged reader... There will be a precise market for this and it's not Picoult's usual one. I've never read Picoult's before, but I have to admit to being intrigued by the idea of both the writer collaborating with her daughter on this, and the notion of a fairytale character trying to escape the confines of his story.
Oliver knows nothing of the world outside of his fairy tale, but longs for something more than the happily ever after with Seraphima, his fairytale princess (who is actually rather vapid). He can see the readers of his book, he and his friends live when the pages are closed but he wants to leave.
Delilah is the book's latest reader, drawn to the book time and again by the handsome and enigmatic prince she somehow feels a connection to. And one day - he talks to her.
It could have been a mess, it could have been simply little-girl-wish-fulfilment. But it's actually a cleverly thought-through plot, where characters have their own lives and hobbies when the reader shuts the book, where the consequences of trying to change a book are acted out.
Delilah is a teenager who doesn't really fit in, her mother worries about her obsession with a children's story, and I found her very easy to identify with. It's not that Delilah wants to be a fairytale princess - she simply feels an attraction to someone who happens to be both a prince and a character in a book.
I might have felt it myself as a teenager, now I simply see Oliver as a young man trying to break free of the confines of his life and choose one for himself.
The story ends on a note that could be considered an end, but leaves room for more tale to tell, and indeed, as I write, the sequel/companion piece is being published (Spring 2016), which I plan on sampling.
It's a world I want to know more about, the inclusion of snippets of the fairy tale make it almost two stories in one, but makes the world of Oliver's kingdom and his longtime friends and (so called) family (who are almost actors in roles) just as appealing as the 'real' world of Delilah.
Will Oliver make it out of the fairy story? And will he and Delilah manage to maintain their connection?
Impressive idea, well executed, and begging for a screen treatment.
A perfect read for the perfect-aged reader... There will be a precise market for this and it's not Picoult's usual one. I've never read Picoult's before, but I have to admit to being intrigued by the idea of both the writer collaborating with her daughter on this, and the notion of a fairytale character trying to escape the confines of his story.
Oliver knows nothing of the world outside of his fairy tale, but longs for something more than the happily ever after with Seraphima, his fairytale princess (who is actually rather vapid). He can see the readers of his book, he and his friends live when the pages are closed but he wants to leave.
Delilah is the book's latest reader, drawn to the book time and again by the handsome and enigmatic prince she somehow feels a connection to. And one day - he talks to her.
It could have been a mess, it could have been simply little-girl-wish-fulfilment. But it's actually a cleverly thought-through plot, where characters have their own lives and hobbies when the reader shuts the book, where the consequences of trying to change a book are acted out.
Delilah is a teenager who doesn't really fit in, her mother worries about her obsession with a children's story, and I found her very easy to identify with. It's not that Delilah wants to be a fairytale princess - she simply feels an attraction to someone who happens to be both a prince and a character in a book.
I might have felt it myself as a teenager, now I simply see Oliver as a young man trying to break free of the confines of his life and choose one for himself.
The story ends on a note that could be considered an end, but leaves room for more tale to tell, and indeed, as I write, the sequel/companion piece is being published (Spring 2016), which I plan on sampling.
It's a world I want to know more about, the inclusion of snippets of the fairy tale make it almost two stories in one, but makes the world of Oliver's kingdom and his longtime friends and (so called) family (who are almost actors in roles) just as appealing as the 'real' world of Delilah.
Will Oliver make it out of the fairy story? And will he and Delilah manage to maintain their connection?
Impressive idea, well executed, and begging for a screen treatment.