Dear John

Dear John
Nicholas Sparks
Warner Books
ISBN: 0446528056
Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by Mona Lisa Safai

In the wake of the Fifth Anniversary September 11th, 2001 Nicholas Sparks graces his audience with his latest novel about romance, friendship, loss, loyalty, and explores the depths of how far people will go for love. In Dear John, two lives meet and are forever altered. Their happiness is jeopardized with the invasion of a cruel war, uncontrollable circumstances, and the reality of long term separation.
Young rebellious John Tyree meets sweet, good hearted Savannah Lynn Curtis, his life changes for the better. He knows she is the one for him. He wishes he had not enlisted in the army so quickly after high school. Instead, he wants to settle down with Savannah. Then September 11th happens?
While in Iraq, Savannah sends him a “Dear John” letter. After John returns, he must come to terms with Savannah. While his feelings remain unchanged, circumstances have. After serving his country, coming home, and finding Savannah, John is left with a decision to make. Throughout the novel, Sparks vicariously asks “What does it mean to truly love another?” and “What does true love really mean”?
Sparks writes Dear John passionately, honestly, and with an undertone of sadness. Within the context of September 11th, he carefully constructs a soldier’s tale. He writes apolitically; without dogma. Two lives once intersected then changed by the destruction of war. Sparks intertwines romance, joy, emotion, and loss into a world which we are all uncertain but willing to brave in the hopes that love may reach us someday.