I am in the middle of John Green's 'The Fault In Our Stars'. And perhaps it is because I am unable to sleep anymore, exahusted all day, wide awake as soon as my head hits the pillow, then ready for a deep sleep as soon as the day begins...but I was struck by this line:
As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.
Personally, I think that is a beautiful line, perfect for its simplicity.
But when I told Tyler, he thought it sounded cliche, a line he's heard a million times before.
Perhaps the simplicity of the sentence makes it feel familiar?
But I really don't believe I've ever heard love described that way.
What do you think?
I really like that line...
ReplyDeleteQuiet, Tyler, I liked it, too! I'm attempting to sneak pages as I work...it's hard to do since I keep getting choked up by passages/events.
ReplyDeleteI finished it a few hours ago. Choked up is an understatement!
DeleteThat sentence stuck out to me too when I read it! I feel like it's really hard to describe love without sounding sappy or cliche, and that was SO unique.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever heard love described that way, either. It is very simple and everyone can relate to it. Maybe that's why it felt familiar to him.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Jennifer Pickrell: "Quiet, Tyler!" ;)
ReplyDeleteThat line is perfectly stated: simple, elegant, quiet. And yes, I think the simplicity makes it seem familiar, but it resonates more as a universal truth rather than a well worn cliche.
Absolutely. Universal truth. You got it Liza :)
DeleteI absolutely loved that line, too. And I actually paused and thought about how I had never heard love described in that way before when I read it.
ReplyDeletehow amazing that I am right there in this book as well.
ReplyDeleteLovely writing. Perhaps it sounds familiar because we all can identify with it! But I've never heard it before.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's cliched at all. Quite beautiful actually.
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