I fell deeply in love with "Ever After"

SOURCE: http://earleia.over-blog.com/article-downloads-ever-after-93061599.html

I have always been a hopeless romantic individual. Ever since I was a kid, I have always dreamed of finding that one person that will love me for the rest of my life. Of course, that inclination turned me into a fan of all romantic things in this world. It seems that all tear-jerking and heartwarming stories, songs, films, and books have cast a spell on me to fall more deeply in love with the idea of "happily ever after."

That enchantment probably led me to finding Karen Kingsbury's book titled "Ever After" in one of the corners of the UST Library - Humanities Section. The lovely cover charmed me in an instant and I did not even bother reading the synopsis at the back of the book, or researching for online reviews before digging into its contents. It was too late when I discovered that the novel involves the military! What?! I was never fond of the ARMY! What is even more awkward was that the manuscript was inspired by true stories. Although I was not comfortable with the idea of reading about the tough military love, I was too engrossed with the first few pages that I cannot let go of it just like that.

And so, I continued reading. Indeed, it was a typical love story between a young girl (Emily Anderson) who falls in love with a handsome army reservist (Justin Baker.) Their relationship was affected by the social and political problems primarily involving the war. Despite the usual tone and theme of the novel, there was something different about "Ever After." It has already been a year since I read the book, but I still cannot figure out how the author managed to come up with a typical story that can give a distinct impact to readers.

Probably, it was the "surprise" factor that made it different from other usual stories. At the middle of the novel, I was shocked (for real!) when Justin Baker died in the war.  It was unexpected since it did not even happen in a fight scene, and there was no indication that the lead character will soon face his end. I was expecting that he'll manage to go home and be unconditionally loved by Emily Anderson despite physical and emotional impairment. That, for me, is how I defined a love story. But Karen Kingsbury introduced to me a new and better definition for true love.

She sent a subtle message that love can exist even without the physical presence of the person. The mutual feeling can still be present through the loved ones left; through the people that has once been touched; and through the significant changes that has been made throughout his existence. Emily felt the love of Justin through his family, friends, and colleagues. And those people felt the same through Emily.

Believe me, the book was magical. I may not be that efficient in describing how the story really goes, but one thing is for sure -- Ever After is a novel that can reach hearts and spirits. It was surreal and it has affected my individuality in an incredible way. In fact, I cannot eat and sleep for a few days. My eyes were swollen for crying over it, and when I returned the book to the library, I would drop by every week to visit the book and stare at the cover. 

Once again, a spell has been cast upon me. I fell in love with the novel, with the characters, with the author, and with her idea of "Ever After."