Books For The Road -- Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks

Where do you get your ideas for stories from? It's a question I'm often asked. They come from so many sources but mostly from my experiences, the people I meet or the places I've visited. Nicholas Sparks novel, Every Breath, is a perfect example of an author being inspired by the places he's been. While his story is set in North Carolina (as are most of his), his male character comes from Africa. He was created from the guides that Sparks met on several safaris.

Every Breath is a Sparks love story of course. I wouldn't call his stories romances because they always go deeper than that. This one does too. Here's the blurb from Amazon:

Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she's been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family's cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.

Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother's early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.

The story opens and closes with notes from the "author". It's a bit confusing because it would lead you to believe that the story is true. The real truth is in the place that gave Sparks the idea for the lovers to come together. On Carolina Beach in NC there is a place called Kindred Spirits which is a mailbox where people leave semi-anonymous letters for others to read. Many are written to deceased loved ones but others are a tale of true love. Sparks, the real Sparks, tells us in the end that this place truly exists and if we are ever there, we should visit it. 

All in all, it's a great read and certainly one for the road.