How do I even begin writing a review to a book that has tore my heart right open. A story that I felt right down into my soul. A tale where I was Addie.
The depth of Addie's character is more than words on a page. It is deep and wondrous and alive. She is everyone of us that has ever felt forgotten, alone, invisible. She is the desire each one of us has to leave a part of ourselves on the world, an imprint of who we were, what story we told. She craves the freedom to live, experience, wonder and dream. She is a part of each and everyone of us. She is timeless.
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint. I already wish I could relive the words on the page, to experience the story again. This is not a fast paced or action filled book, but something that slowly snakes its way in and buries itself inside. It's heartbreaking but inspiring.
This story is told through jumping timelines and eventually different points of view. It is done extremely well and so easy to follow.
There are so many amazing quotes and passages throughout the book but here are a few of my favorites.
"What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?"
"Stories are a way to preserve one's self. To be remembered. And to forget.
Stories come in so many forms: in charcoal, and in song, in paintings, poems, films. And books.
Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives or to find strength in a very long one."
"The day passes like a sentence. The sun falls like a scythe."