This is the only Sparks book I've ever read. I read it because I have a bad memory or I'm not a good listener. I thought I was told the next book up in my book group was A Bend in the River by VS Naipaul. I'd wanted to read this book, and was engrossed by the deeply textured writing and the complexity of modern and emerging first-people cultures. The day before the book club, I discovered I'd read the wrong book, so I bought and quickly read this book by N. Sparks. It's probably not fair to compare these two books, but I was disappointed by Sparks. I know many people love to read for the what-is-going-to-happen-next and who-will find-love aspects of fiction, but for those who are looking for writing that has the potential to enlarge and perhaps shift the experience of being human, I suggest they go by river.