Book 2: Dear John

I've been working my way through East of Eden, which is not the lightest or easiest read. It's such an intricate story with such heavy details that it overwhelms me. I didn't read very much last year, which may be why this book written during Steinbeck's mature years as an author is so mentally taxing. I tend to believe that reading is not so much like riding a bike in that you have to get your reading chops back--get your brain back into a sharp, comprehensive reading shape.

So to take a little break from all those mysterious, violent escapades and warm up my reading muscles, I thought I'd take on something just the opposite of Mr. Steinbeck: Nicholas Sparks.

Nicholas Sparks is known for formulaic, sentimental books such as A Walk to Remember and The Notebook, both of which were made into hit chick flicks. Dear John is the latest movie (is it out yet?) based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.

I read this book for two reasons:
1) I handed out a survey in my Sunday School class of fifteen-year-olds, asking them about their favorite books/movies/foods/etc. I decided to read their favorite books as part of my effort to get to know them better, to identify with them, and include some fun books in my reading this year.

2) When I went to get my hair cut last week, this book was laying on the vanity counter by the curling irons, combs, etc. Maria, the woman cutting my hair, said a client had left the book behind earlier in the day. I picked it up to read the beginning and was thinking, wow, this is so much easier on my brain than East of Eden.

I started reading this yesterday afternoon and finished at 3:00am. So it is possible to read a book in one day, although it's rare occasion that I will. I've only done that before with Harry Potter 5, Catcher in the Rye, and Ayn Rand's Anthem, as far as I can remember. And maybe a few other adolescent lit books.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on . . .

Dear John, by Nicholas Sparks
I saw the movie preview twice before watching New Moon in theaters [yes] twice. It looks sappy, but I love myself a good chick flick, so I'm not ashamed to admit I want to see it. That's how I heard about the book.

As far as reading "worthwhile" literature goes, here's what I've been thinking: if I'm going to read as much as I'd like to this year, I should make those reading hours count by reading classic, meaningful literature, intellectually stimulating literature, and literature that is pertinent to my needs and situation in life. The latter qualification is the curveball: sometimes my need in life is to relax, or find hope in the simplicity of a love story, or relive the fantasies of a child. Sometimes my need in life is not to weigh myself down and over-analyze adulterous or murderous relationships in acclaimed classics such as East of Eden. My heart is not made of stone (although I worry that sometimes it is), my brain is not wholly made up of practical or intellectual haughtiness, and I am a woman with emotional needs.

I am also a writer, and this is the realization I had while reading Dear John: even this book is worth studying from the vantage point of a writer in that Nicholas Sparks has accomplished something I haven't: he's actually written and published a book. Several even. Ha! How brilliant is that? He has tapped into something that everyday readers gobble up. Predictable and sappy or not, people LOVE this stuff, and he packages it just right for the audience he targets.

As I read, I found myself thinking more about the rhythm and beat of the story, the exfoliation of details in the plot, the relationship between characters, and the pace of conversations between those characters; i.e. I focused on syntax and rhetoric more than basic plot.

As far as plot goes, this book is very formulaic; in fact, it has elements and even details in Nicholas Spark's previous stories: a terminal illness, a conflicted relationship between father and son, a single parent, a Christian virgin-girl who acts as a type of savior, a rebellious boy in need of saving. I laughed out loud when the girl in the story order's sweet tea on their first date, and the boy says something like, "Make that two," which is a line straight out of A Walk to Remember. I was like, what? Can we say deja vu?

I did enjoy the story though. Sure, it was so-so, it was predictable, it was simple, a little shallow, but entertaining nonetheless. I read this on Sam's Kindle, which also made it an easy read as I didn't have to exert any effort to hold the pages open against the force of the spine. I just pushed a little button to turn the page and could sit as still as a church mouse (or maybe a dead mouse).

One element that frustrated me at first but came to appreciate was how Nicholas Sparks drew up the female character. I don't appreciate female characters written by men who are basically men with boobs or idealistic versions of women that don't exist: immaculate, perfect girl on a pedestal who is effortlessly good at sports (in this case, surfing), someone who accepts and even has male conversational habits and humor, a natural beauty who doesn't bother with such vain habits as regularly wearing makeup and perfume, a girl who is also effortlessly thin and will even suggest going out for cheeseburgers instead of salad because the cheeseburger won't effect her god-like metabolism . . .

Speaking of unrealistic female characters, I attended a reading recently where an outdoorsy man read a short story with a heroine that fit this description perfectly--and I just had to raise my eyebrows as he drew up a picture of this poster-perfect girl: she was totally unreal, she was exactly how I imagine men imagining their ideal woman. Totally unbelievable.

But in Dear John, I was actually impressed by this man's version of a realistic female character. At first she had no weaknesses and fit that stereotypical "man's woman" description. But as the story developed, she became more human, someone I could identify with in some ways. She was emotional and catty, she needed her friends, she needed to talk things out even when guys don't want to talk about "feelings," she was sentimental, wore makeup on their date, needed security, cried a little too much, and the like. I'm impressed by Nicholas Spark's ability as a male author to write for a female audience. Tricky. It's like J.K. Rowling's great success in writing from the P.O.V. of a male character. That's hard to do. I've tried writing from a man's perspective, and it's really challenging.

So all in all, I enjoyed the book and want to see the movie. As far as the story goes, I don't mind sentimental stories about love--I actually like them a lot; I've always been one to rejoice in the simplicity and hope that comes from a common, loving relationship. It's what I hope to perpetuate in my life: a simple love story that lasts forever.

I give it 3.5 stars overall and 4.5 as a relaxing, entertaining, and Liz-worthy read.