The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern
The Summary
Tamara gets all she wants, new dresses, trips to London in a private jet for shopping, her huge house and whatever she asks for. Living a perfect and extravagant life, with not a word of appreciation for her parents, she is a spoilt brat. But when her father commits suicide, leaving her and her mother under a mountain of debt and without a home, she finally realizes how lucky she was with a loving father like hers, she feels guilty for not thanking him and always shouting, as she did right before he committed suicide.
Forced to leave everything behind and move in with her peculiar Aunt Rosaleen and Uncle Arthur, she hates it there. She is totally cut off from her friends, terribly missing her old and perfect life. Her mother is devastated and instead of getting support from her, Tamara finds herself forcing her mother to say something, to move out of her room and do anything instead of sleep and stare out of the window. Adding to her woes is her weird Aunt who refuses to leave Tamara alone and doesn’t want her to leave the house. Tamara asks for answers, but instead she gets lies. When her Uncle tries to tell her something, Rosaleen barges in stops him from talking to her.
That’s when a travelling library comes with a cute librarian cum driver whom Tamara quickly befriends. She finds an odd leather bound book, with no title or author’s name. She takes it and with the help of Sister Ignatius, a friendly nun, opens it. Tamara is deeply disappointed find it empty but Sister Ignaitus urges her to write in it. She takes it to the ruined castle nearby, with which Tamara feels oddly connected to, and to her surprise finds the pages filled with her own writing! The entry is dated for the next day and refusing to believe it at first, she finds the things written coming true.
The book helps her realize that there are many dark family secrets she, or even her mother didn't have a clue about. Rosaleen is hiding stuff that Tamara never in her wildest dreams thought could happen. As the story moves forward, Tamara doubts everything she knew about herself, right from her age to who her father is. She realizes how the book can help her in her quest for finding answers and uses the book for her own benefit. As the story unfolds, the book helps her learn about the past which shaped her whole life.
The modern fairy tale can be bought
Review
The Book of Tomorrow is the first Cecilia Ahern book I've read and I've fallen in love with it. The magical aspect of the story is unique and beautiful. Tamara's feelings are wonderfully narrated from the point where her father dies to when she learns the truth about herself.
The ending was just as it should have been, the last chapter filling all gaps and answering all questions raised in the reader's mind in the end. Though there are many messages, the primary one is concerned with Rosaleen; because she was not loved by anyone, always made to feel like a burden, even by her parents, she went to all extremes to get love from the one she wanted and in the process ruins numerous lives, maybe even takes some.
The mysterious modern fairy tale is wonderful and is a must read because of it's magical element and the messages conveyed in the 300 page book.