If there is one thing I can't pass no matter the busyness of daily grind is, it is reading books, particularly romance and mystery novels. Of late, I am hooked with Colleen Hoover's writing. She has a terrific gift of bringing to the audience a bond with the characters of the stories.
Recently, I purchased at Costco the bundle of her " Hopeless" collection which has Hopeless, Losing Hope, Finding Cinderella and Finding Perfect. I last read the novel All Your Perfects ( like Quinn, I am a grammar snob), which is a separate entity from the collection.
All Your Perfects is a story of Quinn and Graham who both found one sad night that they were being cheated by their partners. Who is not guilty of reading the back page short description of the story before buying a book? " Can a love story with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?"
Here I am again as a creature of habit, I fold and highlight the pages that tug my heart and soul. From this novel of love and marriage tried and tested by time, problems and challenges, are my highlighted notes.
Graham smiles at me appreciatively, " Do you remember what your fortune cookie said?"
I shrug. " It's been a while. Something about flaws, accompanied by a grammatical error."
Graham laughs. " It is said, If you only shine on your flaws, all your perfects will dim."
" We're all full of flaws. Hundreds of them. They're like tiny holes all over our skin. And like your fortune said, sometimes we shine too much light on our flaws. But there are some people who try to ignore their own flaws by shining light on other people's to the point that the other person's flaws become their only focus. They pick at them, little by little, until they rip wide open and that's all we become to them. One giant, gaping flaw.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, " he says. " Now you know exactly what to look for. When you meet someone who is good for you, they won't fill you with insecurities by focusing on you flaws. They'll fill you with inspiration, because they'll focus on all the best parts of you."
Part of Graham's letter to his wife Quinn before their marriage writes:
I promise that I will love you more during the storms than I will love you during the perfect days.
I promise to love you more when you're hurting than when you're happy.
I promise to love you more when we're poor than when we're swimming in riches.
I promise to love you more when you're crying than when you're laughing.
I promise to love you more when you're sick than when you're healthy.
I promise to love you more when you hate me than when you love me.
And I promise... I swear... that I love you more as you read this letter than I did when I wrote it.
I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, I can't wait to shine light on all your perfects.
Part of Graham's letter to his wife Quinn when their marriage hits rock bottom writes:
I have no idea what's best for us anymore. I want to be with you, but I don't want to be with you when my presence causes you so much pain. So much has changed between us in the time since we closed the box on our wedding night to now. Our circumstances changed. Our dreams changed. Our expectations changed. But the most important thing between us never changed.
We lost a lot of ourselves in this marriage, but we have never stopped loving each other. It's the one thing that stood strong against those Category 5 moments. I realize now that sometimes two people can lose their hope or their desire or their happiness, but losing all those things doesn't mean you've lost.
We haven't lost yet Quinn.
And no matter what has happened since we closed this box or what will happen after we open it, I promise to love you through it all.I promise to love you more when you're hurting than when you're happy.
I promise to love you more when we're poor than when we're swimming in riches.
I promise to love you more when you're crying than when you're laughing.
I promise to love you more when you're sick than when you're healthy.
I promise to love you more when you hate me than when you love me.
I promise to love you more as a childless woman than I would love you as a mother.
And I promise... I swear..that if you choose to end things between us, I will love you more as you're walking out the door than on the day you walked down the aisle.
I hope you choose the road that will make you the happiest. Even if it's not a choice I'll love, I will still always love you. Whether I'm part of your life or not. You deserve happiness more than anyone I know.
I love you. Forever.
Graham
Quinn's short but yet oh so meaningful response, " I love you more in this moment than any moment that has come before. it."
And Graham and Quinn lived happily ever after. :)
In spite of the grammatical error, All Your Perfects is a story that depicts love and forgiveness in the right and realistic way, in this world of tribulations and trials between a couple.
If I may make a wish upon a star,Graham may enter my universe any time. Hmmm, but I may have a Graham already beside me.:)
Love. Forgiveness. Hope.
