I am a person that likes to plan ahead. Next week I want to write about a quote from “The Problem With Forever” by Jennifer L. Armentrout and take a look at performance anxiety. So I thought: Why not share a few of my favourite quotes from the book as a preface today? Because of that, today’s post is a little bit shorter than usual, but I think the quotes speak for themselves. Every book that pictures mental health issues, sexuality or just every day topics in a real and authentic way, will be one that I keep very close in my heart. This one is definitely one of them. When I look at the German title for Armentrout’s book (“Tomorrow I’ll love you forever”), I much prefer the English title because it doesn’t give the image that it is “all about the love story”. I mean, it’s a pretty important part of the story and it is what makes Mallory grow in many ways, but it isn’t all about that. Her inner journey was even more beautiful.
So there they are, my twelve favourite quotes! The ones highlighted in pink were the ones that stood out the most to me and are also the parts that were the most important to me when the quote was a bit longer. Let’s take a look at them and I’ll elaborate a bit.
Actually, there is one more quote I wrote down in my little quote book back then, but forgot to highlight it. I couldn’t find the page now but the quote goes: “We’ve been separated. But we had never really been apart.” I love this one very much, but my favourite of all thirteen quotes is the one where Mallory is holding Rider. “Then it was me who put Rider back together.” For me, it resembles perfectly the reciprocity of true love. Mallory had grown through her time with Rider and now she helped him with the feelings he was hurting about. It shows how strong love can make you and also how vulnerable it allows you to be in front of another person who understands you like nobody else. The quote reminded me of the quote by Rainer Maria Rilke going something like “That’s what love is about. That two lonely people protect each other and talk with each other.”
There is another reason this book means so much to me. I read it at a time in high school when I was also going through fears of my own. Throughout the book, I was able to empathize with her story. The way her thoughts were always there, willing to be said, but struggling to be spoken out loud. Little by little, Mallory trusted herself more and more and lived through her fears. Every time she took a leap of faith I was rooting for and genuinely feeling happy for her. It was important for me to see that the story of Mallory isn’t just a fictional story, but actually happens to children in foster care as we speak. The fears I had were fears that other people had too and I wasn’t alone. Maybe I didn’t share the background of Mallory, but I sure did know the feeling of being “lost” in one’s head. What I learned is that Mallory wasn’t lost or stuck in any way. She was so used to identifying with her thoughts and fears that she didn’t know what freedom it brought to be free of them. This book must mean the world to people who have gone through a difficult childhood like Mallory has. I can only give you the strong recommendation to read it, if you haven’t already.
Title picture:
From the book trailer for “The Problem With Forever”
My sources:
– Armentrout, J. (2016). The problem with forever. Some screts go to deep for words. Harlequinn Teen, pp.286 – 474.
The Deeper Meaning 