The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

               The novel, The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks is a romantic yet suspenseful book that keeps the readers’ attention throughout the story. The main character is Logan Thibault, who is a U.S. marine, and he journeys across the country to find the woman in a photograph he found during his duty in Iraq. He feels the need to owe her something because when he carried around the picture, series of lucky events occurred like saving his life. Soon, he realizes that it is a lucky charm, and this realization leads to the search for the woman.

         There are many memorable scenes throughout the novel. One of them is the miraculous moment when Thibault finally comes across Beth, the woman in the picture. The photograph is his only reference, but luckily, he is able to find her based on the clues in the picture. This scene is obviously a significant part of the book because the encounter is the start of Thibault and Beth’s relationship.

            Another unforgettable moment is when Thibault’s secret about the photograph is revealed, leading to severe consequences. The news threatens to tear Thibault and Beth apart, causing Ben, Beth’s young son, to run away into the storm. When everyone goes after him, he/she finds him “grasping the fraying edge of the rope bridge” (375) in the massive flood. Clayton, Beth’s selfish ex-husband, jumps in and tries to save Ben’s life. Sparks describes Clayton’s situation, “His broken ribs exploded in pain, making everything go black for an instant. In panic, he reached for the rope with the other hand, fighting against the current” (376). Throughout the novel, only Clayton’s negative side has been shown, but this action shows that he is really caring deep down inside and desperate to save his son's life. It may have been the first time he is being selfless because he used to have an egoistic desire about his son being into sports although Ben is only interested in chess and violin, causing Clayton to treat him harshly. He has even given Ben a black eye with a baseball while playing catch. Clayton may have been tough on his son, but the rescue also proves that part of him still cares about Ben even though he is not how Clayton wanted him to be like.  

            After completing the novel, I personally enjoyed reading it; I could not put it down because the plot and the way Sparks wrote made me want to read more and find out what happens next. The author did a nice job on not boring the readers until the end and keeping them informed by writing from different perspectives of the characters in each chapter. I recommend this book to those who like romantic stories with a little bit of suspense in them and of course, to those who are Nicholas Sparks fans!