Sabine's Notebook: A Reflection, perhaps?

One Thursday Morning, I met up with my friends from grad school to have coffee. My friend took this book out of her bag and showed this to me:

Sabine's Notebook by Nick Bantock

This is the second book of the sequel. To those (like me) who have not read what the book is all about, Griffin (Male Lead) in his lonesome, wrote an imaginary letter to someone and was received by Sabine. Since he created his recipient all in his mind, he thought that Sabine is just a joke and a work of fiction that he created. So when Sabine, ( the recipient of the letter that he sent to the Universe) told Griffin that she is coming to see him... Griffin got scared and "ran away" via "finding-himself-journey".

Sabine's Notebook is the second part of the journey that's why it started with this:

Griffin,

Foolish man. You cannot turn me into a phantom because you are frightened. You do not miss a muse at whim. If you will not join me- then I will come to you.

Sabine

My sister who is not much of a reader was able to finish this up in one sitting. I think people, whether book lover or not, will be able to enjoy reading this because Nick Bantock, the book's illustrator and Author, designed the book to be a collection of post cards and love letters addressed to someone. So if you are reading the book, you will have to open few pages of the book and read it by taking the paper out from the envelope. It's like reading someone else's love letter. *juicy*

Pages

My favorite lines in the book include:

"I have loved you in every manner that my imagination would contrive. I have wanted you so deeply that my body sang with pain and pleasure. You have been my obsession, my passion, my philosopher's stone of fantasy. You are my desire, my longing, my spirit. I love you unconditionally. Do you hear me Griffin? Do you see that I cherish you beyond question, that you have nothing to prove to me? You are making your journey to secure yourself. I am already tethered to your side. If you can love yourself as I love you, there will be no dislocation - you will be whole. Bring yourself home to me and I will immerse you in every ounce of tenderness I possess."
- Sabine 

Then it was Griffin's turn:

"You shame me. You have much more faith in me that I do. The openness of your love overwhelms me. Of course I love you, As for liking myself - possibly I can achieve that when I am less prone to bouts of self-pity. Part of me desperately wants to go with you right now. But I'm committed to finishing that which I have started."
- Griffin

Another letter from Griffin went like this:

"Two days out from the Solomons, we were hit by a freak wave and I was catapulted overboard. I don't swim and I went straight down, but I didn't panic; which was strange....... I stopped falling and became aware of a moment of choice -  I could go up or down. I thought of all your trust and patience wasted. It seemed like a cruel futile end to both our strivings.... I raised my head again and saw what I took  to be the end of a piece of string, you were true to your word - you would not let me lose myself. As I caught hold of it my breath expired and I blacked out.... When I came to, I was on the boat and the captain was pumping my chest. (It was he who hauled me aboard but it was you who saved me). He brought me back to Honiara and saw me ashore..."- Griffin

Then it was Sabine's turn:

"You have survived.
Are you coming home when your strength returns? Will I see you at last? I alternate between storms of impatience and lulls of peace..."
-Sabine

Not to bore you with details (and not to ruin this good stuff for those planning to get the book) here are the salient points of the book.

• Men are always the first ones to say I love you and they do it sooner than what they actually feel.
• Women, (and I really hate to be the one to say/admit this)  can wait. 
• Men get scared and tends to do stupid decisions and things. ( Jump-off-the-boat much? )
• Women are very accepting and we have faith in Men we love, more than they give themselves credit for.
• Men care too much trying to prove something.
• Women don't really care about what Men are trying to prove.
• Men run away.
• Women wait til they come back home.

P.S.

Don't expect to find the exact bullets in the book, because for readers of this book who have really loved and lost, YOU WILL KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT. :)