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Critic's Corner
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On Christmas Eve 1998, exactly 40 days after she'd lost her young husband to cancer, Julie Barenson sat looking through her window toward the quiet streets of Swansboro. At 25, she was a widow and she hated everything about the word: how it sounded, what it implied, the way her mouth moved when she formed the word. Friends invited her to spend this evening with them, but she'd refused all invitations. "The scene outside her window was out of focus; lost in her thoughts, Julie gradually registered the faint sound of a branch thumping against the wall. The thumping was persistent, and it was a moment before she realized she'd been mistaken about the branch. "Someone was knocking at the door." When she opened her door, she was surprised to find a young man in a yellow slicker. In his hands was a large, wrapped box. Someone had sent her a gift to be delivered on this night. The man didn't know who had sent the gift. As the lad left, Julie stood in the doorway holding the box. She set the box on the floor in front of the Christmas tree and knelt beside it. "She loosened the ribbon, then lifted the separately wrapped lid and found herself staring wordlessly at what she'd been given." It was a puppy, an ugly puppy! Taped to the inside of the box was an envelope. Julie recognized the handwriting immediately. The gift was from Jim, her husband. Tears filled her eyes as she read his letter. "I know if you're reading this letter, I've already passed away. I don't know how long I've been gone, but I hope you've been able to begin healing. I know that if I were in your position, it would be hard for me, but you know I've always believed you were the stronger of the two of us. I bought you this dog . . ." Jim went on to tell her how he'd always wanted a dog like this one, but never had room for it . . . "It broke my heart to think that you would be all alone. Not knowing what else to do, I made arrangements to get you this dog . . . " He said other things too, personal things like he'd be watching out for her, would be her guardian angel. And he told her to find someone who could make her happy because the world was a better place when she was smiling. Julie looked back to the box. She reached in and lifted the puppy who curled into her hand. He was tiny, and trembled at her touch. "He was an ugly thing, she thought. And he'd grow up to be the size of a small horse. What on earth would she do with a dog like this?" If you can read the beginning of The Guardian without tears then you're stronger than I am. Sparks made me see the pain of this young woman who had no family to fall back on in her time of grief. The "ugly" Great Dane puppy was such an unexpected addition to the story I could not imagine why the author used it. After two more pages I not only understood, but began to love that big pawed darling as much as Julie came to love him in the story. She named him Singer, and the name fit him like the proverbial glove. Julie was no longer alone, she had Singer—or was it that Singer had her? The story skips to four years later, and sure enough Singer is now the size of a small horse. Julie is working in Mabel's beauty salon, still living in the house Jim bought when they married, and trying to make a new life for herself. She's 29 now and far too young to give up on having a full life. There's Mike, Jim's best friend, and Henry and Emma Mike's brother and sister- in-law, and then there is a new man in her life—Richard Franklin. Choosing either Mike or Richard should be an easy thing, but it wasn't. Both professed to love her. Choosing one of them should bring her more happiness than she's had in years. But almost without warning danger enters Julie's life and she's soon fighting for her life in a nightmare spawned by a chilling deception and jealousy so poisonous that it has become a murderous desire. In an author's note Sparks says that the genesis of a novel is always a tricky process. He wanted to write a story in which two believable characters fall in love, but wanted to add elements of suspense and peril that would ultimately put both characters in jeopardy. He chose a theme of love and danger and it proved much harder than he thought it would be. The love story had to be the dominate story and getting all the elements to balance so this could happen was a herculean task. Sparks said he'd never read a thriller where the thriller element was secondary to the relationship. He managed to balance the story perfectly and set a pace that enhanced each element. The result is a love story between two ordinary people who find that they've crossed paths with the wrong sort of person. And it is the story of a dog that will win readers' hearts and bring tears to their eyes. The Guardian is an electrifying story with characters who both frighten you and enchant you. In my opinion, this is Nicholas Sparks' most captivating story yet, and leaves you with a sigh and a smile.
(Jones is a published writer & literary critic) |
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The
Guardian 
