Book Review: Between the Lines

Title:  Between the Lines
Author:  Jodi Picoult & Samantha VanLeer
Where I got it:  I bought it!

Amazon Summary:
New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult and her teenage daughter present their first-ever novel for teens, filled with romance, adventure, and humor.

What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

My Thoughts:
I’ve been a fan of Jodi Picoult for years, I’m always excited when I find out she’s got a new book out.  While Between the Lines is a huge departure from her typical adult book, it’s still a wonderful example of seriously engaging writing.

Between the Lines questions the idea of what goes on inside a story when the book is closed?  Do characters have other lives outside the story?  And what happens if they do, and don’t really want to be trapped in a book forever, doing the same thing over and over again?

Oliver is a fairy tale prince in just that situation – he’s trapped in a book and not real happy about it.  Delilah is an awkward misfit who spends tons of time reading and is addicted to fairy tales.  And one day, she realizes that there’s more to her book than meets the eye…

One of the things I have always liked and admired about Picoult’s work is the various perspectives that are portrayed, typically in alternating chapters.  For me, when this is done well, it gives the conflict and drama of any situation a lot more depth and makes me a lot more emotionally involved in the story.  Between the Lines, a collaboration between Picoult and her teenage daughter, continues this device with great success.

This is a sweet, fun and funny book that is a huge departure from Picoult’s adult fiction, but still engaging and amazingly readable.  I couldn’t keep the smile off my face through the whole book!