Noah, I Could Be Your Allie

Do you ever fall so deeply for a fictional character that you find yourself thinking about them every moment of every day? To those of you honest enough to raise your hands, do not worry: you are not alone.

You have your Ron Weasley: a solid pal to his buddies and family but beneath it all he's a little hopeless romantic (*cough* and waiting for me to walk into his life). Then there's Dave the Laugh: cheeky and witty and perfectly sweet (oh and *cough* waiting for me to walk on into his life). There's also your Noah Calhoun: a sweetheart that turns into a man with sadness in his heart but yet underneath his beautifully-bearded exterior, he's still waiting for (me) Allie. [This list goes on for me and I've, in my head, committed bigamy a few several times.]

Once the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series was over, I found myself frantically circling my room, wondering what my life was going to be without Dave the Laugh. I just had to marry him: I will marry him. Not only this, but I spent too much of my lesson time staring into space, imagining him throwing messages at me across the classroom or turning up at my house. At this point in the blog, I hope that I'm not the only person to experience such attachment to fictional* characters.

It was a strange experience when I finished The Hunger Games [no spoilers, I don't think]: I was confused that, once again, one of my favourite book series had ended and I wasn't with the perfect characters: neither Gale or Peeta. Where was my strong, yet sensitive bulk of a man? Equally, where was my sweet, yet damaged cuteness of a baker? I must write a letter of complaint.

Do not - do not - get me started on any Nicholas Sparks novel. Oop, you've got me started. Logan, Alex, Travis etc etc: where are you in my life? Nicholas Sparks is responsible for breaking my heart over and over again. His creations make me lose focus at college, dreaming of everything that we could be: holding hands on the front porch as the sun rises; spending the evenings on a boat. Heck, I will learn to paint. Noah, I could be your Allie.

I have spent the majority of my life falling in (and never out) of love with characters that are with me beyond the pages of all of these perfect novels. What's more, when I can't (when I never can) move on from one character, I'll open the next novel on the pile and fall into their worlds, adding, without fail, another perfect creation to my heart. (Hold the phone, we've got one player over here!) I can't even wish for these wonderful authors to stop breaking my heart with all of the amazinglovelyperfect characters, because I love the thrill of it. So, Ron, Dave, Peeta, Gale, Noah, Logan, Alex, Travis, any Nicholas Sparks creation, Kian, Wes, Joe, Bilbo and all of you heartbreakingly perfect creations: despite the fact you're in growing numbers, I will love you all equally until, one day, one of you find me. I will be waiting, the start of our own story in your hands.

Novels & Imagination,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

*Or "fictional", if you'd rather. Don't worry, they do exist. They exist in our hearts.