Safe Haven

Before the movie comes out, I read the book.  A few thoughts.

Safe Haven is another typical Nicholas Sparks offering. He doesn't depart from his usual formula which makes Safe Haven an easy read on an afternoon when staying indoors is welcome.

Katie has arrived in Southport after a roundabout journey. She finds a job at the local eatery and keeps to herself. Slowly she becomes friends with Jo, her neighbor, and Alex, the owner of the local store. Jo, Alex, and Alex's two children draw her out from her self-imposed exile.

This is where I find fault with Sparks' writing. He often tells instead of showing us the growing relationship between the characters. Sparks uses dialogue as though he has a limited supply. Once we finally reach the point in which Katie is conversing with someone besides the customers the diner, dialogue dries up. I would have appreciated more moments between Alex and Katie as they pursued a relationship. We get glimpses into their respective thoughts on a relationship but they don't seem to talk it out. If they do converse it is over almost as quickly as it begun and it is resolved with a wave of the hand. 

Eventually Katie opens up about how and why she arrived in Southport. We're introduced to Kevin, Katie's estranged husband. Kevin is perhaps the most interesting of the characters. We spend a lot of time in his head which is a fascinating journey as his drinking evolves. 

Things come to a head when Kevin tracks Katie down in Southport. We learn her real name and the lengths Kevin will go to reconcile with his wife. 

The reveal with Jo was probably the lowest point in the book. I didn't see it coming and when it did I was disappointed. It decimated for me a lot of Katie's growth. 

Sparks as usual gives us some wonderful quotes on life and love. He always presents a fascinating point of view on the growing relationship between two people and where they are in life. I just wish he had given us a bit more content to connect with these characters more.