Ponder Post: Every Breath

Every Breath is the twenty-first book written by Nicholas Sparks. He is a favorite author of mine and I have read all his works, even his first publication Wokini (blog post dated 2/23/17), a sort of self-help book that he co-authored with Billy Mills, a member of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Tribe. As I sit in front of my computer screen though, I am experiencing writer's block regarding what to say about this book. As I do just about every novel of his, I completed it in one continuous sitting. I remained engaged, and there was Sparks' characteristic twist at the end; but somehow my overall emotion after finishing the book was "ho-hum". There were no tears flowing down my cheeks. When I began to type my review, I had to fetch the book and re-read its title. It does not bode well that I could not recall the title of a novel I had so recently read nor do I even now understand how that title is pertinent.

Every Breath is a love story. Two people, Hope and Tru meet in a chance encounter that sparks instant attraction. They are inexplicably drawn to each other and that spark kindles into something stronger. Hope is at a fork in the road with her six year relationship with her boyfriend Josh. Tru is a safari guide in Africa. They fortuitously happen to dwell temporarily in adjacent seaside cottages so the opportunity is there to act on their impulses. Hope and Tru live worlds apart and each has his own set of commitments. Will love or responsibility dominate? The question is posed, "Does love always require sacrifice?".

The book is written in two parts: the present and 25 years later. In this aspect the book reminded me of the Robert Frost poem The Road Not Taken. The reader does get to catch a glimpse of the pathway not chosen. The final verse of that poem reads

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

A curious mechanism to spin off and revitalize the plot is a mailbox, called Kindred Spirit, on a beach where people write and deposit letters to be read by any traveler who happens to visit the mailbox. The first chapter of the book intimates that a letter from this mailbox was the springboard for this story.

Perhaps, however, Kindred Spirit, real though it may be, is intended only as a vehicle for Nicholas Sparks to insert himself in the book, in the same manner that Alfred Hitchcock would insert himself in his films. If you choose to read this book be sure to also read the Epilogue and the Author's note at the end. The Kindred Spirit tool of this book lent a curious aspect to the novel. One can take a virtual walk to this mailbox on the uninhabited Bird Island of North Carolina via the video embedded in https://islandlifenc.com/the-kindred-spirit-mailbox/, the source of the preceding photo.

Although I enjoyed this relaxing read, I would rate this book a solid three stars in general; but when compared amongst Nicholas Sparks' own works, I would demote that to merely two stars.