Between the Lines
“Real fairy tales are not for the fainthearted. Children get eaten by witches and chased by wolves; women fall into comas and are tortured by evil relatives. Somehow all that pain and suffering is worthwhile, though, when it leads to the ending: happily ever after.... But what if ever after could change?” Between the Lines, by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer, throws a curveball and changes happily ever after for me. Unique is just one of of copious amount of words that describe the plot. Improving the book still more is the descriptive writing, along with how easy it is to relate to the main character. Between the Lines is a book I recommend to anyone who loves a good fairytale. It is extremely well-written, and I will definitely end up re-reading it.
Most novels consist of one story. Between the Lines has three stories; they intertwine with each other like a braid. Sometimes this can create confusion, but this novel keeps everything crystal clear. The first story is the telling of a fairy tale— complete with a prince, a princess, and an enemy. The second is told by Oliver, one of the main characters and the prince in the fairy tale, when he is “off-screen.” When the book is closed, and not being read, the characters are free to do as they please, much like actors in a movie. Actors become completely different people when they are not being filmed, as do the characters in the fairy tale. Most of the characters are content with their lives, but Oliver isn’t. Yearning to get out, he wants to explore the world. The third story is told by another character, Delilah. Once an average teenager, one small detail changed her life—she’s now friends with a character in a book. Enthralling, the plot would be exceptional by itself, and yet, the descriptive writing still reinforces the story even more.
“King Maurice and Queen Maureen ran out of the castle to see a monstrous black beast with scaled wings the size of ship’s sails, its eyes as red as embers. It stormed through the night sky, hissing sulfurous breath and spitting flames.” The descriptive writing of Between the Lines helps paint a picture as clear as day. There is no monotonous part in the story, because the writing embellishes every detail that transpires. I can see every scene in my mind. Instead of simply writing “a big black animal with big wings, red eyes, and bad breath,” they added metaphors and adjectives to show the reader, not tell the reader. If a story isn’t teeming with descriptive writing, it can become boring. Descriptive writing adds life to a scene, which is why Between the Lines is so riveting. Another reason Between the Lines is captivating is teen readers can relate to the main character.
Understanding the main character makes it seem like I am there, in the story, with Delilah. I know what she is going through. Portraying exactly what is going on in a teen’s world, the authors seem to have done their research. For instance, most of us have read, or at least heard of, The Hunger Games. "In my English journal, I'll write down that I've been reading The Hunger Games for my outside reading assignment (like 98 percent of the ninth grade), and I'll explain why I am Team Peeta instead of Team Gale." When my grade went through this phase, it was an all-out war. Heated Team Peeta versus Team Gale arguments sprang up every five minutes. There are multiple books where the main character is unrelatable, which causes the book to be harder to read. Along with the knowing current trends, the authors seem to grasp how we think, which makes it easier to relate to Delilah.
Cleverly intertwining three different stories creates a unique appeal, and helps set Between the Lines apart from other books. They each provide a contrasting perspective on all the events. Descriptive writing helps me create a picture in my head, as if I was there, watching the scene unfold. As a result, the varying scenes of action and romance are enhanced excessively. Being able to understand the main character shows how well the authors know teenagers—after all, everyone loves The Hunger Games! Between the Lines definitely changes happily after, and maybe even made children getting devoured by witches worthwhile.