Unwritten, by Tara Gilboy (Jolly Fish Press)
A story in which a character
finds her way into the world of a book has enduring appeal, and I’m at the
front of the line to read such adventures to my favorite imaginary places. So
when I read the description of a story in which our young heroine escapes from the world of a book into our own, I was intrigued. Unwritten fulfills the promise of its
premise with quirky, immediately sympathetic people whose personalities warp
and evolve as they are revealed through the plot. Gracie and her (single,
waitress) mother are exiles from a storybook world in which, Gracie has always
been told, she dies. Our ordinary world is the only place they’re safe from the
evil queen. They keep their heads down, trying to not attract any attention
that might draw the queen to them.
When the author of the book comes to town to do a
bookstore signing, Gracie defies her mother and sneaks into the store to find
out more about her own story. “I don’t know,” says the author, “that book never
worked, so I threw away the manuscript.”
A series of mishaps,
catalyzed by Gracie’s act of rebellion, catapult her, her mother, the man who might
be her deadbeat father, and her best friend and his parents, along with the
author, into the storybook world. Just as she was warned, the story itself
begins shaping each character according to how she has been written. Despite
her best intentions, Gracie finds herself acting out her own plot line, not as
the tragic victim but as the villain.
The way the book played
with subjective versus consensus reality, not to mention a plot paced briskly
enough to hold the attention of younger readers, was enough to carry me along,
through twists and turns, star-crossed love stories, and questions about how
much control any of us have over our destiny. Although it’s marketed as Middle
Grade (Gracie is 12), it’s a fine, fast read for fantasy lovers of any age.
The usual disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book,
but no one bribed me to say anything about it.
An unusual disclaimer: Rumor has it that the author will be making a blog tour for her next book, including a guest appearance here. Stay tuned!
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