I have been a Nicholas Sparks fan from the very beginning. Between me and my sister, we own all of his books; we have a “Nicholas Sparks Shelf” on our bookcase – no shame, guys. I have enjoyed every novel he has written, but everyone has their favorites, and this is 100% one of mine.
If you ask me to suggest a book to you, at least one written by Nicholas Sparks will be in the mix; however, I won’t suggest The Notebook to you. Everyone knows about The Notebook. It’s amazing but Nicholas Sparks is so much more than The Notebook, and here is what I mean by that!
Two by Two really resonated with me for a few reasons. One being that I am a child of divorced parents, and divorce plays a big role in the storyline. Another reason being that this novel is the first to make me so angry I had to stop reading for a while. And a third reason being that Two by Two had it all: heartbreak, true love, financial struggles, soul-searching, parenting / co-parenting / step-parenting, and rebuilding one’s life from the ground up. This book hit home on so many levels.
Reason Number 1: Divorce
Two by Two really hit home for me because it talks about divorce so in-depth, and that truly means something to me. I have an amazing relationship with both of my parents now, but growing up I did not have the best relationship with my dad. This book really reminded me of how much a divorce not only affects the kids but the parents as well.
Two by Two is written from the perspective of the father as his marriage ends and he has to fight for custody of his daughter while also starting from scratch with his career. Russell Green, the main character and father in the story, battles so many issues throughout this story. Reading about him rebuilding his life, yet putting his daughter completely first in every aspect, was heart-wrenching and moving.
Sparks demonstrates such power in how he can paint a picture of the pain a person goes through as their life falls apart and they have no choice but to pick up the pieces and reassemble.
Throughout the story you see Russell lose his career and build his dream career in advertising, while turning into Mr. Mom and fighting the emotional drag of depression as him and his wife separate and file for divorce. As a child of divorce, I wasn’t sure how I would react to this type of novel, and I think it’s because I also experienced that major life event that this is one of those novels I will always remember.
Through the whole novel, I was rooting for Russell to get time with his daughter after the divorce, to build his life back up, to find love again. It pained me to see such a dedicated and loyal man hurt so much and fear the loss of time with his daughter. It was also extremely emotional how much detail about the daughter’s perspective Sparks put within those pages.
At one point in the novel, Russell and his wife were only communicating through their lawyers and this caused so much miscommunication and painful accusations. During this time, I remember thinking, “Oh, if you two would just sit down and talk to each other, this could easily be settled!” This portion of the story hit hard for me, because I see it so much in the world. So much could so easily be resolved if two people sat down and rationally discussed the situation. Easier said than done, I know!
Reason Number 2: Strong Emotional Response, Anger
Throughout my life there are specific books that standout to me because they strongly affected me emotionally. This is one of them. As I mentioned, this is the first novel I read that made me truly have to put it down because I was so angry. And when I say “angry”, I mean I was livid… I remember reading this book on a plane to Texas and having to tell myself, “Girl, you’re on a plane traveling alone – you canNOT bug the person next to you about how angry this book is making you. Deep breaths.” I wish I were kidding.
One of the biggest things that made me angry was how condescending Russell’s wife, Vivian, was toward him. Vivian made Russell feel as if she resented him because she had to return to work when he was pushed into leaving his corporate job. She made him feel this way, but at the same time enjoyed returning to work. There were so many instances where she would start an argument and if Russell tried to explain his side or talk at all, Vivian would leave the house or tell him she wasn’t going to argue with him and just shut the conversation down. This would leave him more confused and feeling to blame for things he didn’t do.
During one scene in the novel, Vivian and Russell meet for lunch to discuss their daughter and splitting up time with her, working around Vivian’s work schedule. Vivian mentions to Russell not to tell London, their daughter, that the two are getting a divorce until she is used to them being separated. This is shocking to Russell, because up until this point neither one of them has said the word divorce.
Russell tried to talk to Vivian about trying to make things work, repairing their marriage. Vivian argues with him, telling him he’s being too loud and needs to be quiet, telling him they aren’t there to talk about their relationship. They go back and forth for a bit as Russell tries to reason with her and understand why she won’t discuss anything that has to do with their marriage, until eventually Vivian storms out.
So many moments like this happen in this book. Every time they happened, I would get so frustrated because all I wanted to do was tell Vivian to just listen to him. Did I think they should stay together? No, but watching her storm out every time they had an argument or tough conversation made my blood boil. I just wanted her to listen to him, to see how much pain this was all causing him.
Divorce is such a tough life event for everyone involved. This novel tells the hard truths behind divorce, not only from the dad’s perspective but also from the mother and daughters perspective at times.
Reason Number 3: It has EVERYTHING.
When I say everything, I mean everything. This book has a little bit of everything a novel needs to be incredible. I already explained all the sad and angry parts! Those definitely keep the story interesting and the reader attached. Anyone who reads this will be hard pressed to not finish because it’s so easy to need to know what happens to them all.
This novel also has side stories about Russell’s family and personal life – his relationship with his parents, his sister and her relationship with her wife, his relationship with his sister, and his new relationship / friendship with an old friend.
It also follows Russell’s journey as he builds his own business in advertising. He makes a major career decision to leave his corporate job and go after a career he’s always wanted – being his own boss and starting from the bottom.
Reading this novel, you see every side of Russell’s life as a dad, a son, a brother, a man, a friend, but above everything a person. He is resilient and even in the face of life’s biggest challenges (some I didn’t even mention!) he never gives up.
Two by Two is inspiring and heartwarming and heart wrenching and beautifully written.
Works Cited: Sparks, Nicholas. Two by Two. Vision, an Imprint of Grand Central Publishing, 2018.
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