The Riddle of the Sphinx

SO... I finished the book and it was just what I was expecting. Here's what happened. The schedule gave the teenagers two free days in Aswan, were they could go shopping or do whatever they wanted, plus, the boat would stay overnight in that same place! It was clear that Octavia was madly in love with Sam by now, so she suggested to stay the night in one of those luxurious Egyptian hotels with him, having Salah to cover for them. Sam agreed and so they went to the Old Cataract Hotel, where Octavia got the main suite using some flirting and some French. Back in the boat, late in the evening all the crew was called to the deck to watch a video that the staff had made with pictures from the whole trip in the cruise. As the video played, Salah started to feel stupid for wasting all the opportunities that he had to be with Rosie, but as soon as a picture of both of them in the pool appeared, he took his chances and kissed Rosie, for this may have been his last chance. She kissed  him back, and they had to be called out by the teachers to stop. Salah had finally made it, and for his own luck, no one even asked about Sam and Octavia. Salah decided to carry the piano from the club to the deck and gathered the whole crew as a surprise to Rosie so that she could preform under the stars that she loved so much. Meanwhile, in the hotel, Sam and Octavia were talking and having the most romantic time on your lives all night long. And Rosie, loved the surprise so much that she spent the night with Salah on deck looking at he stars.


The following morning, the four friends gathered at the entrance of the boat to spend their second day together in Aswan. They decided that they would do something memorable to remember the trip forever, and what better way to do that than racing each other with carriages. After bargaining for a while with the carriage owners, they finally started, and even though it was a close race, Sam and Octavia won. It indeed was a memorable moment. Mohammed, the guide came to them and said "Now you are true Egyptians!" (O,Connell 198) For them, it was the best day of their lives. It also became a sad day though, because it was the last one, and soon they would be separated. The time came and they flew back to their countries. And when Octavia finally arrived to her house a package that Sam had sent her was waiting for her. It  was an Egyptian poem and the gifts that he had wanted to give her from the Valley of the Kings and Queens. On the base of a scarab he had written his version of The Riddle of the Sphinx with his own answer too:

(O'Connell 223)

   And for Rosie, there was a post card that Salah sent every week from New York ever since that magical experience.




"What creature has two hearts? Octavia for she has stolen mine away." -SAM  (O'Connell, 223)
I really admire the author's capacity to make such a perfect choice of words. It's one of the best love quotes I have ever read or heard. I wonder how long it would have taken Tyne O'Connell to make and decipher the riddle so that it would fit so perfectly with the story. Plus, I always tend to choose a favorite quote from every book I read and this is definitely the one I am choosing from True Love, The Sphinx and Other Unsolvable Riddles!


"I knew then that Sam totally got Egypt, which meant in a nutshell, he got me." -SALAH   (O'Connell, 220)
 When I first read this I couldn't understand why it was so important to Salah that his friends  had a better understanding of Egypt, but as I finished the book I realized that he felt so related to that country that it was actually himself who wanted to be understood. In other words, we can clearly see since the beginning, that Salah felt a little different, so he saw that school trip as an opportunity for his friends to know his true identity better.


 
I really enjoyed the whole book. I didn't feel like I had to read it but instead like I wanted to read it.
The story was finally something different from the usual love stories and, in my opinion, it was twice as interesting. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys romantic and comedy books as much as I do because this novel is truly something you should try. Or even if you don't enjoy those genres so much but you are a teenager, you should still read it, since you'll be able to relate with the characters and even find some answers to some of your doubts about love life. I am so happy that I chose this book over so many  options at the beginning of summer, since I enjoyed it so much. Thank you for supporting my blog and see you next time in Scriptum Interpretations!