A violent explosion in Afghanistan blew away Trevor Benson’s career as an orthopedic surgeon. His extensive injuries—blinded in one eye, missing fingers, and a missing ear—required several surgeries. Trevor also suffers from PTSD, though he now has a pretty good handle on that. He plans to go back to school to study psychiatry.
The Return, a novel by Nicholas Sparks stirred my heart. I am generally not a romance reader, but was in the mood for a change of pace. The Return is not your standard romance, though there is definitely a thread of romantic interest throughout the story.
The hospital staff notifies Trevor that his beloved grandfather is dying and that the old man hasn’t long to live. His grandfather’s last words are a plea for help, but the conversation is so jumbled, Trevor can’t understand what his grandfather is trying to tell him.
Trevor temporarily stays in his grandfather’s old house in New Bern, North Carolina, and tends the old man’s bees. While there he meets two women: Callie, a girl who looks to be in her late teens, apparently lives alone in a close-by trailer park. She mentions to Trevor that she and his grandfather were friends. The other woman, Natalie, is a deputy sheriff who stops by to see if the person staying at the old man’s house is doing so legitimately. Both Callie and Natalie have their own stories, their own heartbreaks.
The Return held many threads of interest to me. By now, we’re all familiar with PTSD, but the author revealed new insights of the condition, how it cannot be cured, but at least managed. I was also fascinated to learn about the grandfather’s apiary and the details involved in the art of beekeeping. Then there’s the emotional side of the story involving a bit of romance and mystery.
Nicholas Sparks is a successful author of many books. The Return is the second of his that I’ve read and enjoyed. I appreciate his gentle humor, and he does a good job of instilling a sense of small-town life and values, and of showing characters’ personalities with their quirks and emotions. I enthusiastically recommend The Return.
He is an amazing author. Thanks for this review, Mary. Sounds like another winner from Sparks.
I agree. This is the third book of his I’ve read and reviewed. Thanks, Carmen.
Thank you, Mary, for introducing this new novel by Nicholas Sparks. I will list it among the books to read.
I think you’ll like this book, Hema. This is the third of his that I’ve read, and i always come away with new knowledge, new understanding.
This sounds to me like a great story, typical of Nicholas Sparks. I introduced myself to this author when I began making long car trips several years ago and I was searching for something to listen to while I drove. One of his first audio CDs I purchased was The Best of Me. I absolutely adore this story, I have listened to it many, many times and it led me to his other wonderful stories of love and overcoming. Thanks for this review, Mary. I’m keeping this one in mind whenever I need a Nicholas Sparks boost.
Thank you, Alice. This is the third one of his I’ve read and reviewed–Every Breath and Nights in Rodenthe were the other two. He really does have a way of reaching the heart.