So, last week I discussed my thoughts regarding my literary choice, ‘Save Haven‘ by Nicholas Sparks. My comments were appreciative as I basked within the romantic storyline which intertwined the lives of ‘Katie‘ and ‘Alex’. I spoke about how they were at the point of falling in love; they were telling stories about their past, enjoying quality time with each other, indulging in romantic kisses against wintery trees and receiving positive blessings from Alex’s children, ‘Josh‘ and ‘Kristen‘. It was sheer bliss! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!
However, we’d also been learning about ‘Kevin‘ who was represented as the man you’d never wish to meet. He’s a police officer who obtains a true talent for his work but who also possesses knowledge upon on how a man should not treat a woman! He was (and still is) a vile man. I found reading about Kevin to be difficult because he was openly abusing Katie both in a physical and mental manner. I powered on through because I wanted Katie to be free, happy and in-love with Alex and his children.
I was not as dedicated to the book this week. Why? There is a few reasons. Like any ordinary woman I struggle with bad times too, so I’ve been dealing with a bucket full of those and I generally have not been in the mood to simply read. One thing we aim to illustrate at H.O.B. is that we understand that life can get in the way of reading; we believe that you should visualise it as something remarkable, not an unwanted chore!
Alternatively, Sparks begins to indulge deeper into Kevin’s mind as we start witnessing memories that he once shared with Katie; they all revolve around his “love” for her and the earlier times when he chose not to beat her. In reality, Kevin continues to pursue a false front to everyone around him; at the moment he’s pretending that Erin/Katie is staying with her friend, who lives miles away and who is suffering from terminal cancer. To quote McFly, it’s ‘lies, lies, lies’. Kevin’s alcohol levels are still growing with each day and I’m not surprised because he appears as though he’s desperate. Then he continues to make the situation even worse as he cheats on Katie by sleeping with some nasty pasty girl who hangs around in a cop bar. After reading this particular paragraph, I lost all form of emotional connection to Kevin and I gained the desire to push him off a cliff! PIG!
However, as Kevin continues to spiral we witness Alex and Katie becoming more in love. Alex has been teaching Katie how to drive; she appears to sail through the process and despite using a fake security number, she acquires her own official driving license. I could relate to this part so much as I had a difficult time in learning to drive; I passed my theory test on the 5th time, practical on the 3rd and just like Katie, I can’t seem to get my own car. As we focus on Katie acquiring her driving license, we forget about Kevin and we forget that he’s searching for her.
Also, Katie’s next door neighbour ‘Jo‘ really struck a chord with me this week, and not in a good way! She chose to confront Katie; arguing that she should only stay with Alex if she’s fully committed as the family have been through too much heartbreak due to Carly (Alex’s previous wife) passing away. I felt that Jo had spoken prematurely and had put negative ideas into Katie’s head; she continued to make the situation worse as she flew out the door and hasn’t contacted Katie since. I was fond of this friendship and I am disappointed to see it be affected by something as silly as one individual’s opinion.
I have less than 100 pages to go before I complete ‘Save Haven‘. I promise to be more committed in finishing the book and informing you properly next Sunday upon how it ends. I can only hope that you’ve been reading along and enjoying Sparks’ literary talents. If not, you can always watch the film. It is slightly different to the book as it doesn’t focus on Kevin that much, but seeing Josh Duhamel (who plays Alex) is not a bad sight at all. Oh, mama may I?
Let the literary debate begin!
Elle.
Hooked On Books Official 