New Release Book Review: Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks
About the Book:
There are times when destiny and love collide. This story is one of them.
From the number one bestselling author of The Notebook and Two by Two comes an unforgettable tale of enduring love . . . Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. After six years with her boyfriend, she is no longer sure what she wants, and when her father becomes ill she heads to her family’s cottage at Sunset Beach in North Carolina to make some difficult decisions.
Tru Walls has been summoned across an ocean from where he was born and raised in Zimbabwe by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. In journeying to Sunset Beach, Tru hopes to unravel the mystery surrounding his mother’s life, but the letter will lead him in an unexpected direction.
When these two strangers’ paths cross, their chance encounter sets in motion a heart-breaking story – one that will transcend decades, continents and the workings of fate.
My Thoughts:
I’ve long been a fan of Nicholas Sparks, which I know is fully in contradiction to my general disinterest in romance novels, but there’s something about the emotion he injects into his stories that gets me every time. However, Every Breath, his latest release, well, this is difficult for me to admit, but…I was underwhelmed. For a start, I didn’t cry at all, not even a lump in my throat, and this is unheard of. I have never been dry eyed while reading a Nicholas Sparks novel in the past. I feel somewhat unfulfilled now. In saying this though, it’s still a lovely story with plenty of heartfelt moments, don’t get me wrong, it just didn’t stretch my emotions quite the way some of his other novels have.
In this classic story of insta-love, Tru and Hope meet on the beach where they are both biding their time. Within a couple of days, they are deeply in love. It’s a stretch, I know, but it’s what comes after that is the point of this story, because of course, fate intends on dividing them.
‘He turned away, unable to face her. He’d always believed that anything was possible when it came to love, that any obstacle could be overcome. Wasn’t that a truth that nearly everyone took for granted?’
There are two things that I particularly enjoyed about this novel. The first was learning about Tru’s job as a game guide. That Nicholas Sparks loves Africa is very much evident within the pages of this novel. Any of the passages to do with Africa were infused with such a heady atmosphere, the sense of place well grounded and ripe for the reader’s enjoyment.
The second thing I really enjoyed was the whole concept of ‘Kindred Spirit’, which Nicholas assures us in his end notes is a real place. The idea of a mail box in the middle of nowhere existing for the sole purpose of people leaving letters filled with the words they can’t, for whatever reason, say or deliver to their intended recipient, is deeply moving. How uplifting, to think that a person could read a letter intended for someone else but read it at exactly the right time for it to make a profound influence upon their own life. Or even the idea of using the letterbox to connect to someone who you have lost track of. I did love how Nicholas created a story to specifically revolve around such an incredible concept.
‘If there was one question she could have answered, it was simply this: Why does love always seem to require sacrifice?’
Overall, Every Breath is a moving love story, about destiny and timing, about never giving up and never letting go. It moves along at a gentle pace, one of those stories that is more about the journey than the big pivotal moments. I appreciated the intent of this novel, and even though it didn’t make me cry, Nicholas Sparks still reigns supreme when it comes to classic romantic fiction.
