Sundays At Tiffany's by James Patterson

Okay, this story has nothing to do with Breakfast At Tiffany's.

James Patterson is one of the author whose novels I have enjoyed more than once. That includes Along Came A Spider and Kiss The Girls, both books and also their film adaptations. Being so used to his thriller genres, I was somewhat amused to find this novel on the shelf because it seemed like a romance novel. However, I have no problem to indulge myself in a romantic story, even more with my current "love-dovey" heart. So, I finished reading the book in one night, a skill and a habit long forgotten since the golden days of Muna the voracious novel reader, haha. In a nutshell, it's a nice, sweet story, the kind that warms your heart. Mr. Patterson collaborated with another writer, Mdm Gabrielle Charbonnet in this novel.
The story is about Jane, who as an eight-year-old girl, had an imaginary friend, a thirty-something Michael. Michael had been her best friend, her only companion during her childhood, the only one who listened and care for what she thinks, as Jane was a lonely child, and didn't get the attention, love and affection from her broadway producer mother.

As any imaginary friend, Michael had to leave Jane on her 9th birthday. Like any other 'cases', Michael had prepared Jane that she would forget him as she grows up. That's how it is supposed to be.

Anyway, twenty-three years has passed. Fate finally brought Jane and Michael together. As a grown woman now, Jane is quite successful, although working under her mother's rather dictatorship wing. She is a playwright in her own way and working on a play she wrote about a little girl with her imaginary friend. So, Jane has never forgotten Michael, which is something unusual here. As Jane meets Michael, both of them are seeing each other in different perspectives and guess what, they fell in love. Now here was the confusing part for me, as I read through. Expecting this story to be a realistic one, I figured that the Michael whom Jane met later was actually a real person who has the same appearance and personality. But, it wasn't like that. Michael was real, but in a different way. Something of a little bit like "City of Angels" here, with almost a tragic ending....but again, "almost". Someone at the end of the story is facing death and I had guessed it wrongly. Ah, I should've known better.

Perhaps the fantasy-like concept of the story is the only thing that is a bit of a 'downer' for me, because I prefer a more realistic story in a novel. However, it is not hopeless too. The story made my mind did the 'time tunnel' thing back to my childhood years, wondering if I ever have an imaginary friend. Of course, I didn't remember having anything or anyone like that, although I was a bit of a loner and a dreamer too...(still a dreamer now ;) ). Like the rules said, we are not supposed to remember that after 9-years-old.

One of excerpt from the story that I like:
 "I don't know Vivienne had a kid," one of the other stick figures said. "Hello, Jane. You're as cute as a button."
 A flock of gazelles, they moved into the huge living room, leaving me to wonder if I'd ever seen a button that qualified as cute. (page 25)

And there is something from this part,
 I was a thirty-two-year-old woman who had everything and nothing going for her at the exact same time. I had a good job that was theoretically fascinating, but it consumed my hours and days and gave me almost no personal satisfaction. (page 113),
 which somehow I can relate to it.

And then I wondered who had written this part,
 I should figure out a way to be happy, not for a lifetime, but for an hour or two. Maybe there was somebody out there who wanted to sit around with me, and order in Japanese, and not hate watching a DVD of You've Got Mail or The Shawshank Redemption for the fourth or fifth time. (page 114),
 because those two movies are my favourite movies and I have been watching them more than three times each.

So, finally...this book is still a good read. It is simple, sweet and nice. The language is simple, the story line is not so complicated, and there's something to learn about love. Enjoy.