A Bend In the Road is a 2001 novel written by Nicholas Sparks. Penned shortly after his sister died of cancer, the book once again finds him mining the depths of human experience for a story about love. He demonstrates deftly how it either survives or crumbles in the face of extraordinary challenges. If you have never picked up a book from Sparks, it is more than worth your time to do exactly that. His books are a window into the human heart and I have become a fan in the last few weeks as I have become acquainted with his simple, elegant and emotionally charged stories of love in a small town.
"In life, there are seldom clear-cut beginnings, those moments we can, in looking back, say that everything started. Yet there are moments when fate intersects with our daily lives, setting in motion a sequence of events whose outcome we could have never foreseen."
These words introduce us to Miles Ryan. A local sheriff in the small North Carolina town of New Bern he is struggling with grief, guilt and a staggering sense of loss. His idyllic life came crashing down around him when his high school sweetheart Missy died one night in a hit and run accident. For two years he has been plagued by the unanswered question of that fateful night. Who hit Missy and left her there? Was it a stranger or someone he sees every day in town? Feeling like a failure for not knowing the answers, we find Miles pondering his life. He's facing the world alone, looking after his son Jonah and trying to find a life again. His life consists of copious amounts of caffeine, a cigarette addiction and lonely nights where he soothes his son's nightmares away and faces another night without his wife.
Sarah Andrews, a recent transplant from Baltimore, Maryland enjoys her job at the small town elementary school where she now teaches. After an unexpected and painful divorce, she decided to come to the quaint town of New Bern to get a breath of fresh air and possibly a new start. Even though she has to but up with her overbearing mother she still is finding a peace of mind here she never could have found back in Baltimore. Here she didn't have to face memories of broken promises and bitter disappointments. Everything was going well with her new job. Her class seems to be about where they should be except for one little boy. Jonas Ryan is seriously behind in every subject and Sarah is worried. She couldn't believe he made it out of kindergarten with his current level of reading and writing. She sighs realizing she would be meeting with his father tomorrow afternoon.
The two come together and soon are involved in a new, tenuous romance. Both have the hope love will heal the hurts of the past and point the way to a new future. Yet, just as they are starting to find love again, they face a revelation that could tear their relationship apart forever.
So far I have read two of his books and I found this one to be considerably different from The Notebook and The Choice. While the very essence of this story is romance there are some darker elements shading the picture. Surprisingly, A Bend In The Road suspenseful mystery leading us on an emotional journey for the truth of what happened to Mile's wife. I think this book is an impressive one because it proves Sparks can go into new directions and still keep the heart and soul of his writing cohesive and moving. There is no doubt when you read the pages of A Bend In The Road you are reading the sensitive thoughts of Sparks. Still there is a new dimension making the book an interesting and compelling read.
I definitely recommend this 2001 novel from Nicholas Sparks.