BETWEEN THE LINES
BY JODI PICOULT & SAMANTHA VAN LEER
In Between the Lines, characters in books have lives beyond the ones we read about. Just because they're quiet in shy in the story doesn't mean that they are out of it. One of the main characters, Oliver, is one of them. He lives in a fairy tale, one where he has to go through an adventure to save a princess with no bravery.
Delilah reads that book, and falls in love with it. After a while, Oliver tries to figure out how to talk to her while still in his prison of fiction. When he does, the two fall in love, and it becomes a matter of how to get together an attain that happily ever after.
This book was a collaboration, which really amazed me. It was written like it was from the same mind, thinking the same thoughts, no need for second thoughts. Of course, this was authored by writing gods, so maybe I shouldn't be so surprised.
So, the idea that characters have a life outside pages is pretty freakn' awesome. I mean, anyone who writes has figured out that their characters begin to develop on their own agenda. They just do. And just because the pages say one thing, it doesn't mean the characters don't have entire other lives of their own.
Now, there was something I had a bit of a problem with- the romance.
Okay, so maybe I'm just holding onto the last threads of the 'kissing is icky' part of life, but for some reason I really don't like the love-at-first-sight type of romances. Or maybe it's because that type of romance is almost always solely based on looks, has no depth, and doesn't exist. And it lived up to expectations. It was shallow, looks-driven, and didn't feel like it existed. If you're drawn to a person because of their personality, Delilah, don't suddenly go into the 'sculted chin, chisled chest' (or was it the other way around) thing. Picoult, Van Leer, I expect more of you.
My last complaint is about the characters. I don't know why, they just didn't seem to have much of a personality. It's like they were as two-dimensional as the words on the page.
To make this review a sandwich (which I'm supposed to do or something like that), I'll talk about the writing style itself. I loved it. Not purple prose, but not emotionless. It seemed really relatable and kind of urged me forward in the story. In other words, wheeeeee! A story with a writing style I can appreciate!
I'd recommend it.
-Corinne
So, the idea that characters have a life outside pages is pretty freakn' awesome. I mean, anyone who writes has figured out that their characters begin to develop on their own agenda. They just do. And just because the pages say one thing, it doesn't mean the characters don't have entire other lives of their own.
Now, there was something I had a bit of a problem with- the romance.
Okay, so maybe I'm just holding onto the last threads of the 'kissing is icky' part of life, but for some reason I really don't like the love-at-first-sight type of romances. Or maybe it's because that type of romance is almost always solely based on looks, has no depth, and doesn't exist. And it lived up to expectations. It was shallow, looks-driven, and didn't feel like it existed. If you're drawn to a person because of their personality, Delilah, don't suddenly go into the 'sculted chin, chisled chest' (or was it the other way around) thing. Picoult, Van Leer, I expect more of you.
My last complaint is about the characters. I don't know why, they just didn't seem to have much of a personality. It's like they were as two-dimensional as the words on the page.
To make this review a sandwich (which I'm supposed to do or something like that), I'll talk about the writing style itself. I loved it. Not purple prose, but not emotionless. It seemed really relatable and kind of urged me forward in the story. In other words, wheeeeee! A story with a writing style I can appreciate!
I'd recommend it.
-Corinne
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