In James Patterson's novel, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, Nicholas is Suzanne's newly born child. And luckily, she is not just making sentimental diary entries for her son, but narrating her love story with Matt, her husband, and Nicholas's father. So what we have is pages soaked in motherly love, but with the requisite twists and turns of a love story that keeps it buoyant and engaging.
At the very onset of the novel, we are introduced to Katie, Matt's girlfriend, on whom the task of unfolding the pages of this story rests. When one fine day Matt decides to call it quits with Katie, he expects her to arrive on her own conclusion about this abrupt end to their relationship, through this diary. And Katie unravels Matt's family life he so far had managed to evade from her. In the process, we are transported to the calming island of Martha's Vineyard where Suzanne and Matt first hit it off.
As their story unfolds, we witness an almost fairy-tale like romance graduating to great love between the two, to getting married, and having a child. And besides few small bumps and dents here and there, everything about their life look so easy and lucky so far, that you almost start to worry. They even have a phrase for it in the novel, 'Isn't it lucky?' And soon enough, almost like a curse from the past, their charmed life in the beach is hit by a misfortune that changes the fate of their lives forever. But even when life seems to be slipping by infront of their eyes, the author plots many moments of relief and recovery that serves as some respite, but only to lead us to a final heartbreak. But not without leaving us with hope at the end, and not without emphasizing on some of life's lessons which this book seems to take very seriously. Lessons such as, seeing work life as a 'rubber ball', and rest, such as love, health, integrity as things made of glass - fragile and irreparable. Of nurturing a passion - Matt is a lawyer who is on his way to publish his first book of poems; and of listening to your heart - Suzanne, who is a Doctor, leaves New York's busy life to find peace in the island where life is much more 'kinder.'
Whenever Suzanne's diary start to overwhelm, we are given a glimpse to Katie's state-of-mind, who meanwhile, is dealing with her own hell of losing Matt. And even in her story, we encounter some startling revelation that add another direction to the story. And we start to wonder when will these two worlds of Matt finally meet, or whether they ever would? Or what compelling fact would we encounter that could possibly justify Matt's betrayal to his wife and son? Or, is there more to what the eyes meet, or in this case, the words reveal?
'Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas', is a fuzzy, heart-warming tale of love, and hope and also about the unpredictability and uncertainty of life. And how important it is to find balance in everything, which is a lot like, 'balancing oneself on a thin rope', one accidental slip and things can go totally out of hand. This is the underlying message that Patterson leaves its readers with, but doesn't sing it out loud, only reiterates it though the many small and big decisions its characters take, and the fate they eventually meet.
But at the end, it's the overall execution of the story, the delightful surprises and revelations that the author so cleverly plots, is what makes this story what it is. Patterson's writing is like the low tides of the Atlantic overseeing Suzanne's beach house - breezy, gentle and peaceful. And what you have read so far is just the tip of the iceberg.
'Ain't u lucky?'
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