Between the Lines (2012) Review

Do you ever wonder if characters come to life after the book closes? Yeah, me either. However, Samantha van Leer does. She sits in eighth grade French class daydreaming up of such a plot that she calls her mother, Jodi Picoult, who just so happens to be sitting in LA traffic while on a book tour. She pitches the story idea of what it must be like for the roles in which characters play and what if they languish outside of the imagination and live in reality? Two years later, Between the Lines hit the bookshelves as an intrinsic and imaginative read for all ages.

Between the Lines is split into three sections. One section is dedicated to the fairy tale, the second section is based on Oliver's point of view as a living, breathing character in the one and only fairy tale written by Jessamyn Jacobs. The final section is narrated by Delilah, a Freshmen loner who comes from a broken home and has exactly one friend whom is equally as odd as Delilah. Delilah becomes obsessed with Oliver so much so she imagines Oliver as a living, breathing, three-dimensional, physical, human-being and falls in love with him. As the story unfolds, the reader is left hoping for a magical ending in this happy-ever-after as Oliver must escape his Kingdom to be with his one true love--Delilah.

This novel is unparalleled to the other novels that Jodi Picoult has written. First, the fairy tale is believable, magical, suspenseful, and engaging. As Oliver comes to life, the readers are convinced that it is completely possible for a lonely girl to fall in love with more than just a character, but with a Kingdom so far, far away. The novel can be read by reading the sections separately and together. However, by the end of the story, the not-so-happy-ever-after fairy tale, the audience is left to decipher what is real and what is not. Is it art imitating life, or is it life imitating art? The icing on the cake in this novel-extraordinaire are the silhouette images that are so carefully and cleverly placed in the white spaces of the story. The lines become blurry as it is left to recesses of the imagination and to the human mind to draw the line between what is real verses what is fiction and to define the roles that are being played. Essentially, every living, breathing thing is assigned a role; a role that is definitive in and of itself.

Kudos to Jodi Picoult for writing an entertaining piece of fiction with daughter, Samantha van Leer at her side. What was once clearly defined as real and fiction is now questionable. The What If scenario comes to life and makes the imagination question everything. After watching Toy Story many moons ago, I question the ability of not only Buzz, but my collection of toys having a life behind closed doors. It is entirely possible for the imagination to come to life, isn't it? Picoult and van Leer make it believable and that's all that matters. The rest is up to you.