Between the Lines


Between the Lines
Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer
Simon and Shuster

Okay, so wow. When I discovered this book and found out what it was about, I seriously just gaped and wondered, why didn’t I think of that?! It’s a truly out-of-the-box story: it’s about a character in a book who falls in love with a reader of his story. Yes, it sounds strange…but it was also kind of cool, and I was a little jealous that I hadn’t come up with the idea myself. The book is a mix of the hero’s original story and then narration by both him and the heroine. On top of that, it has illustrations! It was such a novelty of a book it was hard not to enjoy it.

Of course, like any story (especially a non-Christian one) there were a few cons (in this book's case, several). Though from a secular perspective this book didn’t have anything too terrible in it (it’s not steamy or riddled with language or violence) from a Christian perspective there were several small things that added up: mainly, the heroine, Delilah’s, high school environment. (As a side note…who would name their child Delilah???) Also, there was kissing and, well…longing for kissing. *rolls eyes* Those elements were really annoying, especially in light of the fact that I really wanted to recommend this book because it was so quirky and original. As it is, I have qualms about recommending it at all because of my personal beliefs. However, though I probably would have done this book differently, I’m still giving it an 6, with the knowledge that if it hadn’t been for the objectionable content, it probably would have gotten a 7 or 8, just for pure originality.

There were some inconsistencies, and the ending was a little odd. However, I loved the way that the fairy tale Delilah was obsessed with was included, broken up by Prince Oliver's narration as well as Deliliah's. Yes, some will find the book too sappy for their tastes, and there were a few common YA cliches, but overall I enjoyed the story.

Rating: 6

Comments

  1. GraceAugust 8, 2013 at 3:46 PM

    That is an interesting type of story. I've seen a picture on pinterest where someone put something about how there should be a story where the character falls in love with the reader. It be cool if someone could do a Christian version of this type of story...somehow.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hannah BartaAugust 8, 2013 at 5:37 PM

    Oh, darn :( Sounded so interesting. . .but I never put books you've reviewed on my reading list unless they receive an 8-10.

    ReplyDelete
  3. HaydenAugust 9, 2013 at 11:16 AM

    Grace: I thought of that same pin while reading this book! A Christian version of this type of story would be pretty cool.

    Hannah: I know, the premise was really neat, and that's what I liked most about it...but the book itself was a little wanting.

    ReplyDelete

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