“She believes in me, and if someone believes in you wholeheartedly, you start to believe in yourself as well.”
Last week, I bought a book from the store. It didn’t look too extraordinary or anything etched on top of one of the shelves, I felt I had to just pick it up. This may sound wrong to some but I always judge books by their covers, just books though. Nothing special there as well, a blue book with the words ‘Off The Page’ etched on top in glitter (Yes, real glitter), but what really made me smile was the feeling I got when I saw the cover image:
The first thing that struck me, was that this was going to be a fantasy novel (and I don’t really like fantasies). The cover image looked really cute, and had that fairy talish vibe I couldn’t let go, so I held it and flipped it to see what it was all about (the summary) :
‘Meant for each other…
Meet Oliver, a prince literally taken from the pages of a fairy tale and transported into the real world, Meet Delilah, the girl who wished Oliver into being. It’s a miracle that seems perfect at first- but there are complications. T0 exist in Delilah’s world, Oliver must take the place of a regular boy. Enter Edgar, who agrees to play Oliver’s role in the pages of Delilah’s favorite book.
But just when it seems that the plan will work, everything gets turned upside down. In this multilayered universe, the line between what’s on the page and what’s possible is blurred. Is there a way for everyone to live happily ever after?’
I’d be very honest when I first read the summary, I had numerous conflicting thoughts.I had the feeling that this story would be very challenging to understand (I was wrong), but it was too late and I was standing near the billing counter with the book in hand.
I did not put the book down, I held it in my hand and started reading the words while waiting for my train (never do that), with every word that I read, I got drawn into this whole new world. I needed to escape reality and it was like the perfect portal for me.
The book alters the reality in a sweet and soft way, in a way that you’d feel connected and actually consider the impossible without losing your mind. The characters are sweet, and very relatable. The last time I read about a charming prince in a far-away land, dragons, fairies, witches and mermaids were when I was a kid and my mother got me Peter Pan and Cinderella stories. Off The Page, lets you relive those childhood feelings in a more matured way. I can surely say this is a fairy tale for the young adult.
The book is going to make you question why you stopped believing in happy endings and fairy tales in the first place. You’ll be awestruck at the giddy feeling you feel inside you, the ones you felt when you read your first fairy tale. When I started off with it, I got so addicted to it, nothing else mattered. I kept reading word by word, smiling ear to ear, crying whenever something went wrong in the story and by the time I was done with the book, I wanted to go back to Page 43 (You’d know the significance of the page if you’re familiar with the story) all over again.
The book not only brought childhood memories, but made me realise a very important fact –
‘Everyone has a story.
You might think it’s not worth telling, but then again, it’s a story no one has ever heard. What you do, what you say, how you carry the plot, just might leave a mark on someone.
Because that’s what stories do. They help you escape, and they give you the chance to do things you never imagined you would or could. They let you feel heartbreak you’ve never had and experience adventures from the safety of your own room. They are dreams for those who are still awake. They can be as comfortable as an old pair of slippers or as unnerving as the blade of a knife. They possess the power to change you, to inspire you, to open your mind.
Stories are all around us, caught in the throats of the strangers you walk past and scrawled on the pages of locked diaries, They’re in love letters that were never sent and between the lines of every conversation ever spoken. Just because your story isn’t written down doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
Perhaps someone is reading your story right now, in fact- imagining your eyes skimming over this page, your hands clutching the binding as you hurry to get to0 the last line.
You’d best get going. Your reader is eagerly awaiting the next chapter.’ – Off The Page (Page 372).
*Off The Page is actually a sequel as well as a stand alone novel of the book Between The Lines, by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer. I’ll put up the Flipkart and Amazon links of both the books. 🙂
Between The Lines: a) https://www.flipkart.com/between-the-lines/p/itmeyezr2d6xjrb2?otracker=product_breadCrumbs_Between+the+Lines+%28Paperback%29
b) http://www.amazon.in/Between-Lines-Jodi-Picoult/dp/1444740997/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1471856903&sr=8-2&keywords=between+the+lines
Off The Page: a) https://www.flipkart.com/off-the-page/p/itme9fsjmgbxhacu?pid=9781473614291&srno=s_1_1&otracker=search&lid=LSTBOK97814736142911PL3UZ&qH=2251f7999f1f2f15
b) http://www.amazon.in/Off-Page-General-Literary-Fiction/dp/1473614295/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471856986&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=off+the+page+jodi+picoult
The Storyteller. 