JULY BOOK CLUB: HILARY DUFF’S ‘ELIXIR’

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Image source: Simon & Schuster Australia

Our July Book Club pick is Hilary Duff’s Elixir.

There’s always a fear upon a re-read that a book won’t live up to your first read. This month, in celebration of Hilary Duff kicking off her world tour we selected an old favourite. Elixir by Hilary Duff and her collaborator Elise Allen was released in 2010 and we special ordered it to be among the first to read it. I distinctly remember reading certain scenes all those years ago. Sitting on my childhood home verandah, becoming completely absorbed in the world they created. I’m pleased to say sixteen years later, it still lives up to my memories. 

I absolutely loved the descriptions of situations and scenes throughout the whole book. It was so detailed and made you really understand how the characters, particularly our main female character (MFC) Clea, was feeling. I also enjoyed the insight we got into the characters history and relationships. Since finishing this book, I’ve started another and have found it difficult to get that connection in the new book. It’s challenging to pull it off really well, and I applaud Duff and Allen in having achieved this - as it’s useful to gain this insight into the characters, and is built upon throughout the book. 

When we travel to the different countries in this novel, the authors capture the sense of place perfectly. When we were in Paris, you can feel that energy. A lot had happened by this point (the first 32 pages), but the inferno for example was orchestrated really well. The energy being what you’d expect - and I enjoyed the way it was all connected from her dream, to then figuring out the particulars of the situation, going there, talking to Ben (one of the male main characters) to finding Rayna (supporting female character). 

As a photographer myself, I loved the photography element within the book. It really pushed the idea that a photo needs to be more than the surface level of what you see - ultimately pushing the connection to the camera idea. My own studies have centred around this and the idea of capturing a moment in time, that will never be repeated. So I loved this writing on a deeper level. At this point I started noticing the way each chapter ended, that being a deep impact sentence. It was very dramatic and very effective. I love the way a feeling is captured in the text, like when Duff and Allen talk about the changes in a room it’s so dynamic; you feel like you’re there, and therefore understand that feeling.

I recall when I first read the book, it gave me a Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010) movie vibe, as well as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010) and I got that sense again. Now that I’m older and reading this, I get a sense that it can also link to the book series A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - but it’s the teen version. The historical component also brought this about, figuring out clues linking to figures such as Shakespeare, and periods in History brought an element of gravitas to it. The one element within the text that differed in feeling (2010 me vs 2026 me) was the romance. Whilst yes, I understand their connection, I feel the build up didn’t work for the time where they professed their feelings for each other. We know now that this series is a trilogy, so I feel it should have come later in the novel. There definitely should have been more of a buildup, much like the adventure element in the book. When it comes to the romance I felt it was rushed, and somewhat undermined the character development of our romantic leads. I will say though there’s also an element of The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001) when it comes to the history and connections to the past. 

The great thing is that enough time has passed in which you don’t remember all the intricacies of the story, and so you come to be mildly surprised with certain events that transpire. I had forgotten about the plot-line focusing on the figures in the images. And when I tell you the bedroom cupboard scene left me quite creeped out, to the point where I was hearing all these strange noises in my home and jumping; I was thinking, perhaps I need to read this during the day? Chapter two was genuinely thriller like, there was an eerie suspense to it. I couldn’t figure out how I forgot about this part and how I was able to sleep at night after reading this sixteen years ago. Dreams play such a pivotal role in this book, especially the power of dreams. Recently it was discussed that dreams could in fact be portals into another life or another aspect of your life. I love that a book that came out over a decade ago already explored this very concept. In this case we’re more so looking at past lives. Being connected to those moments and exploring the idea of soul mates. A concept that has been at the forefront of romantic stories, however in this case there’s a paranormal edge to it. Something I was excited to explore again. The adventure element is exactly what you’d expect from a story like this. There’s an element of Fools Gold (2008) and National Treasure (2004) in that there’s a search, or rather a hunt for treasure, and in this case it’s linked to finding more than one thing.

Side note: I also want to say, I’m team Ben. Magda’s point was to destroy everything Clea had. Obviously Sage (MMC) was intending to sacrifice himself all along, so Magda highlighting the fact it was Ben who was the catalyst of ruin in every iteration of their life was meant to destroy their friendship. However in this lifetime it’s not Ben’s fault. Everyone’s actions had a knock on effect, like her calling one of the villains to appear on the beach brought about Ben’s action. Also if it wasn’t for Ben they wouldn’t have gotten as far as they did. I would say on more than one occasion Ben showed he was a team player. Ultimately in my mind it was Clea’s fault. Her father was to blame also, because he somewhat orchestrated the events that transpired. I don’t remember what happens in the second book, but the fact is, Sage is still alive, and Clea is still alive - which is leaps ahead of their previous lives, and ultimately I think the better idea, or rather what they should be focusing on, would be to separate the elixir from Sage. I’m pleased to say I’ll be continuing my re-read of the series.

Hilary Duff’s Elixir is available through Simon & Schuster Australia.