Alive, but not living

It's been a long time since I've read, and I've tried to keep my days free from a novel because once I start, I cannot stop, not even to sleep. I have the tendency to be so absorbed by a book that time is no longer an obstacle. Well, then school gets in the way and results demand attention. Naturally, for the longest and most painful time span, I only read textbooks.

Stupid, stupid me.

So when I picked up Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult (of course) and held it in my hand like the pulsing ball of energy reading is to me, I felt excitement take over. Jodi never disappoints.

If anything drove me to finish Vanishing Acts faster than you can say Abracadabra, it would have had to be my English Oral conversation question: "What is your favourite book?"

Utterly insane. I stopped fidgeting for a while and stared hard at the teacher, as if I could send her this question in thought: "Are you kidding me?". I remember breaking into a smile and launching into a million and one reasons why the last Jodi Picoult book I read, Second Glance, was my favourite. I went on to explain the idea of Love being transcendent and how it is in fact a form of supernatural. I also mentioned Jodi's writing abilities and style.

Right. Enough about that. Here's a synopsis of the latest book I've read: Vanishing Acts

Delia Hopkins has led a charmed life. Raised in rural New Hampshire by her widowed father, Andrew, she now has a young daughter, a handsome fiancé, and her own search-and-rescue bloodhound, which she uses to find missing persons. But as she plans her wedding, she is plagued by flashbacks of a life she can’t recall.

And when a policemen arrives to disclose a truth that will upend the world as she knows it, Delia must search through these memories – even when they have the potential to devastate her life, and the lives of those she loves most. Vanishing Acts is a book about the nature and power of memory; about what happens when the past we have been running from catches up to us… and what happens when the memory we thought had vanished returns as a threat.

You know, the funny thing is, after attending CAP, I've been so prone to "recognising Memories" and how memories play an extremely important role in writing. For example, you can tap on your memories to guide your writing/acting and when used as a writing form, so much can be discovered. Memory is a window to one's soul and when you create characters out of words, you are also earning their memory bank and all that life experiences you never have and never need to go through.

Anyway, I'd recommend this book (and all other Jodi Picoult books dammit), because of the way she tackles all these controversial issues. What should and could have been a detective, structured court order book had been given touches to warm the hearts of her readers.

Flawed characters exist as ones that cannot be hated. If Jodi Picoult has taught me anything at all, it has to be how every person has his reasons. Whether or not the person is a good guy at heart or otherwise, there are always two sides to a coin.

Perhaps another matter Jodi always points out is that what goes around, eventually comes around. The irony of the situation always startles me. This ironic turn of events is blatantly obvious in Vanishing Acts.

Read books. Read and be happy.