The Storyteller

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
― Stephen King, On Writing

Now I know I don't usually do blog posts on books, to be honest I find it hard to find the time to get deep into a good book apart from when on holiday, yet I have to tell you about the book that I have been reading over the past week...

A week last Saturday whilst waiting for C to have a hair cut I thought I would take myself off to Costa, nestle down with a good book and a steaming hot coffee, and wait for him.  It's one of my New Year resolutions to try and read more and so far, so good!  I was reading 'You Before Me' by Jojo Moyles (another great book) at the time and looking forward to finding out what Lou was planning next...  I just happened to be passing WHSmiths en route when I thought I would venture in and see if anything took my fancy. 

I can quite easily download books onto my iPad in an instant yet there is nothing quite like the feel of a brand new book, the smooth cover and the smell of pages holding a story daring to be read...! I am a huge Jodie Picoult fan (I love a deep and dark story) and right in front of me was one of her bestsellers that I hadn't read yet, The Storyteller, and for half price!!  I snapped it up before even reading the blurb on the back!

So last Friday on the train home I dug it out and I started to read The Storyteller... I haven't been able to put it down since!!  The book is set in the present day yet revolves around the Holocaust. The chapters flit between Sage,a Jewish girl in the present day, and Minka, a Jewish girl during the war and the atrocities that she, her family and best friend, faced.  There are of course (in true Jodi Picoult fashion) a few extra characters thrown in, with their own perspectives and stories, and slowly the relationship between them all unfolds....  There is also a gothic fairytale that appears in between chapters - bear with that bit, it gets better.

The descriptive writing, the characters and the fantastic plot really draws you in - you can almost picture the face of the SS soldiers, of Minka, of Sage, of the fear, of love, and of the personal battles that they face.  It really is an addictive read and I don't want the story to end, I have the last few pages to read and I'm trying to draw them out as long as possible - yes it really is that good!

I don't want to give too much of the story away but if you are looking for a good book promise me you will give this a try?

It really is a must read.