A Fairy Tale with a Twist

January 23, 2013

If you’re already a fan of the author Jodi Picoult and her numerous books, or even if you’ve never read anything written by her, you might be pleasantly surprised at her present offering, Between the Lines. Though written for the teen audience, this is a book which will appeal to teens and adults alike. The book is co-authored with none other than Ms. Picoult’s own teenage daughter, Samantha Van Leer. Actually, the idea which grew into this book was originally conceived by "Sam," as she is known to her friends.

Many fairy tales that we’re familiar with have a prince or some other male figure rescuing a "fair damsel in distress." In Between the Lines, that scenario is reversed, and it is the female teenage reader, Delilah, who wishes to rescue the prince from a fairy tale, one which she discovers in a very time-worn book which she finds in her school library. Upon repeated readings of this story, Delilah is surprised one day to discover that she can actually speak with the book’s characters and they with her. Thus, she becomes aware that these characters have a life outside that of the story in which they have been cast, a life similar to that of actors and actresses in a play or movie. Delilah also becomes aware that not all of the characters are content to remain as characters in this fairy tale. One of these characters, Prince Oliver, becomes somewhat of an obsession with Delilah because of his good looks, as well as his feeling of being trapped in his role in this story. She makes it her mission to change the ending to the fairy tale and free Prince Oliver to live another life, preferably with her.

Some teenage readers might relate to the fact that Delilah sees herself as an outsider to her peers; she truly has very few classmates she can count upon as friends. However, upon the discovery of this fairy tale book, Delilah finds an entirely new group of "friends" through her interaction with the characters in this story. How Delilah resolves the self-imposed challenges of freeing Prince Oliver makes Between the Lines a truly fascinating read for all ages.

Check out other books by Jodi Picoult.

Ruth S
Antioch Branch