Title:
Two by Two
Series:
N/A
Author:
Nicholas Sparks
Genre:
Adult Fiction, Women's Fiction, Romance
Publication:
October 4th 2016, Sphere
Pages:
496 pages, Hardcover
Source:
Library
#1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with an emotionally powerful story of unconditional love, its challenges, its risks and most of all, its rewards.
At 32, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a lovable six year-old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and an expansive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream, and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear...and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down. In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter while struggling to adapt to a new and baffling reality. Throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, Russ embarks on a journey at once terrifying and rewarding—one that will test his abilities and his emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined.
This
is my second Nicholas Sparks book. I read See Me on the 1st of July
and then immediately picked up Two by Two. I've never read adult
fiction, and I'm not particularly fond of books that make me cry, so
I'm not entirely sure what tempted me to start reading his books. But
I did. And I've fallen in love with his writing, characters, romances
and story lines.
Two
by Two is about Russ. He's got a beautiful wife, lives in a large
house, has a good job and a wonderful little girl, London. However,
cracks begin to form in his perfectly-constructed life and in the
blink of an eye, he finds himself with no job, a wife that seems like
a stranger, and a newfound role of being a mom and a dad to little
London. As he hits rock bottom and tries to make sense of his new
life, he slowly regains his footing. He discovers strength he never
knew he had, a friendship of solid gold in the form of Emily, his
ex-girlfriend, and he develops a deeper bond with his young daughter.
However, as things begin to fall into place, a devastating incident
shakes the world he has only just begun to repair.
Going
into this book, I knew I was going to cry. I've watched Nicholas
Sparks' movies, and I know of his reputation. I don't even like reading
tear-jerkers (unless they're the happy kind). However, after reading
See Me, I knew I needed to read more of his books. Since this was
another book of his nearing 500 pages, and since I'm currently
participating in the Tome Topple readathon, I thought this would be
the perfect next read. And, once I got into it, it was.
At
first, I considered DNFing. This book has a slow start, a reallyyyy
slow start. There are pages upon pages of internal monologue and the
character's day to day routine. The amount of times I read about
Vivian sitting on the couch, asking for a top-up of wine whilst
flicking through a magazine and then picking a fight with Russ was
almost one times too many....however, at the 150 page mark, the book
started moving along, and I found myself completely engrossed in the story. I
began to speed through the book and I found myself missing the
characters when I was away from the book – that's when you know it's a good read, right?
I
also nearly DNFed this because of the content and age of the
characters. They were in their early thirties and going through a
tough time in their marriage. As a nineteen year old who's never even
been in a relationship, I found myself wondering if I was really
interested in reading a book about characters who were in a
completely different stage in their life. But then I remembered that
that's one of the beauties of reading: it puts you in someone else's
shoes. I was in Russ's shoes for this book; it was an uncomfortable
place to be at times, but it was worth it. This book delves into
heavy topics that could make the reader feel anxious and depressed,
but Nicholas Sparks managed to infuse the book with charm, love and
heart that fills the reader with courage and hope, producing a
bittersweet, emotionally charged novel that tugs at the heartstrings.
In
a book, the characters are often the most important part of the novel
to me. I loved the characters in this book. I saw quite a lot of
reviews complaining about Russell being a doormat and having no
backbone, but I really liked him. He was sweet. He worked hard. He
always did what he thought was best for his family. Yes, he probably
should've stood up to Vivian, but he didn't because he just wanted to
make her happy. He wanted to keep the peace and ensure his home was a
happy environment for his wife and his daughter. He was such a good
guy – and such a brilliant father! It absolutely melted my heart. I
loved how much time he spent with London and all he did for her.
Everything he did was to ensure that London was healthy and happy. I
loved how the novel showed the deep bond they formed – it was
utterly adorable. I also really appreciated that Russell was a sensitive guy. He cried in front of others and he would speak about his problems to his close friends and family. It's largely upsetting how many men today feel that in order to appear strong they must refrain from crying and speaking about their problems. I loved that Russell demolished that toxic viewpoint and freely expressed how he was feeling. He was sensitive and deeply compassionate, and he embraced it. GO, RUSS!
Obviously,
I loved London and Bodhi, Emily's son and London's best friend. They
were so adorable. Their antics and view of the world was so innocent
and imaginative: it added happiness and wonder to a story that
could've easily felt dark and hopeless.
Emily
was such a wonderful character too and a stark contrast to Vivian.
She was positive and wise and encouraging. She was a wonderful friend
to Russell, and I admired her ability to forgive Russell for the
stupid mistake he made when they were dating years ago, as well as to trust him
again. Emily was the perfect antithesis of Vivian. Her character
brought so much more joy and light to the story which I absolutely
loved. I could almost feel
the positive effect she had on Russ. She was a brilliant friend and
exactly what he needed: a rock when everything else was crumbling.
Then
there was Vivian. “What a cow”
was muttered several times whilst reading this. She was manipulative,
selfish and emotionally abusive. She constantly played the victim and
blamed poor Russ for everything.
It crushed my heart to see all her piercing words make him feel like
he was never good enough. She did so many despicable things and was
extremely superficial. She was cruel and conniving and UGH. Just ugh.
At least she had some
redeeming moments towards the end. Some.
I
also loved how involved Russell's family was in his life. His dad was
gruff, tough and constantly trying to fix things. However, there were
moments he revealed his sensitive side, especially towards the end of
the book, and it had me crying.
Russell's mom was so lovely and had experienced so much pain
throughout her life, I just wanted to give her a hug. Then there was
Marge, Russell's sister. I LOVED Marge. She was a brilliant older
sister – she teased Russell mercilessly, gave him incredibly wise
advice and was always there for him and he there for her. She was
witty and hilarious and I loved her character. Her partner, Liz, was
also such a sweet, supportive character. Their family bond was so
strong. I loved how Russell would spend hours chatting to his family
on the back porch while London sat and watched baseball with her
grandfather or did gardening and baking with her grandmother and
aunts. The strength, love and complexity of family was explored in
this book. By the end of Two by Two, I felt almost as if I was a part
of the family.
Despite
this being a Nicholas Sparks book, there wasn't as much romance
involved. There was love, of course. The love being a father and a
daughter, a brother and a sister. There was the promise of a romance
between Emily and Russell but it was quite implicit for the majority
of this book. This isn't a grand love story and you shouldn't go into
this expecting one. It's a tumultuous novel about falling out of
love, the difficulties of marriage and infidelity. It's about losing
your job, the life you used to know and having almost everything
taken from you. However, it's also about friendship and a new love
between old lovers. It's about family and resilience and courage.
This book contains the devastating lows that life can throw at us, as
well as the sweet, priceless things that sustain us through the
difficulties.
However,
there were a couple of minor issues I had with this book that
prevented me from giving it the full five stars. The first thing I
already mentioned: so many unnecessary details. Perhaps Sparks wanted
to really familiarise us with the routine so that we could feel the
vast change in Russell's life. If so, it worked. I felt
the devastating impact of all the upheaval in his life, and, like
Russ, I felt slightly confused and worried and lost. I think by
including all the details and allowing the reader to get such an
in-depth look into Russell's life, it made all the change that much
more hard-hitting.
Secondly,
it was quite discouraging to read about the family refraining from
going to church after Marge came out. I know a lot of people will
sympathise with their decision to do so, but as a Christian, I found
it sad that they stopped going completely due to Marge's sexuality.
I
also would've liked to see a bit of Vivian's point of view. Her anger
and bitterness seemed completely unfounded. I would've liked slightly
more understanding as to why
she started being so attacking towards Russell. The book was
completely one sided and there was no explanation for Vivian's
antics. Perhaps that was just the way she is, as his family implied
that she was a bit of a disaster from the early stages of their
marriage.
That
being said, I still fell deeply in love with this book. Two by Two is
a sentimental read. It's nostalgic read. It's a touching read. At the beginning of each chapter, Russell recalls
a memory from his life, a memory involving Emily, London or his
family. It added a touch of authenticity, emotion and heart to the
story. It allows the reader to feel as if they've known Russell
through every stage of his life. Most of the characters were deeply
fleshed out and all had their own unique personalities that added
richness and complexity to a deeply layered, intertwining story. Two
by Two is book that explores the devastation of a broken marriage,
the heartbreak of loss, the difficulty of being a parent and
financial worries. It's emotional and it's hard-hitting because it's
so real. The things that happen in this book could happen to anyone
at any given time which makes it quite a difficult story to swallow
at times. However, threaded throughout the story, is the promise of
hope and courage, of friendship and family. I love that this book
teaches that even once you've gone through something devastating, you
will find the strength in you to continue. You will laugh again, you
will smile again, and things will eventually be okay.
I
loved watching the bond between Russell and 6-year-old London grow –
it was incredibly sweet. I loved watching Russell begin to gain
confidence in himself. I admired how hard he worked and his resolve
to keep his family as happy as possible. I loved the strength of the
bond between Russell and his sister, Marge; I loved Russell and
Emily's friendship that was based on trust and care and love, that
began to grow into something more. I just loved the complexity and
emotion this book was filled with. Yes, it has a slow start – but
keep going. You won't be disappointed.
I've
only read two Nicholas Sparks book but he's quickly becoming one of
my favourite authors. His books are authentic: they contain the vast
spectrum of emotions that feature throughout our lives. They tackle
the difficulties of life with grace and sensitivity and hope, and
explores relationships and love in such a genuine manner.
I
absolutely loved Two by Two. It was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking,
but it was also filled with hope, happiness and encouragement. I
highly recommend it.
I give it: 4.5/5 cupcakes
