Between the Lines

by Jodi Picoult

[inlibrisveritas]

3.5 Stars

Between the Lines is one of those books that is pure fluff, but it’s the kind that makes you feel good and makes you want to keep it on your shelves just so you can re-read it. It’s a story we’ve all wanted to happen. Delilah finds herself in possession of a book where the swoony main character is alive and wants out of his story, and into hers.

Delilah is somewhat of a loner. She’s sort of made a name for herself as being an outcast at school (purely accidental), and as a result she spends most of her time reading. But lately she’s been spending most of her time reading a children’s fairy tale book, because it speaks to her. She understands what it’s like to grow up without a father, and she longs for that happy ending. Delilah is someone I think most of her can relate to. We’ve all found that one book that just make us want to shed our real lives for a few moments and be in it’s world. We’ve probably all had times where books were the only comfort we could find. Plus who wouldn’t want a main character to suddenly come to life and befriend you? Part of me wanted her to find a way to release Oliver from the pages of the book, and another part of me really wanted her to find solace in something substantial in the world around her. Because even though you as a reader know she’s telling the truth about Oliver, it sort of feels impossible to put full trust in what she’s going through. Especially when others are starting to question her sanity a bit. There were times when I just want to reach in and force her to stop talking, because there are just somethings that don’t translate into reality well.

I really loved the world inside of the book as well, as well as the characters. The whole idea that they live separate lives when the book is closed, and simply the play the part when it’s opened was really awesome. Most of the characters in the books are nothing like their story parts, and they each have a rather vibrant personality. I think outside of Oliver and Delilah I was really fond of Rapscullio, he had such a great personality outside of being the storybook villain and I loved his dedication to baking and butterflies.

Between the Lines is an extremely cute book that has ‘feel good’ written all over it. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Off the Page is going to be like, and how Oliver and Delilah are going to handle the new changes in their lives.