Relationships , faith and a recent addition to the family :
Nicholas Sparks talks about his new novel , ‘ Counting Miracles ’ By Tom Mayer
It didn ’ t take a miracle for Nicholas Sparks ’ 24th novel to ride the top of the world ’ s best-selling book lists — and even more than a month after publication it ’ s still in the Top 10 — but in the world of fiction writing , it ’ s certainly miraculous that an author can turn out , consistently , unique stories ( only about a half-dozen titles tangentially touch in terms of character or plot , and you ’ ll need only a couple of fingers to count true sequels ) with the return and stability of a Las Vegas house table .
Two dozen stories , three decades and 130 million books removed from Sparks ’ beloved and cult status first novel , “ The Notebook ,” the author presents “ Counting Miracles ” ( Random House ). The novel is vintage Sparks and for many fans will provide a much-needed few hours of escapism from their day-to-day .
The book , of course , is a love story — a genre that Sparks owns — with all the bittersweetness of a last kiss before an overseas deployment . Not that Tanner Hughes is still in the military : The hero of “ Counting Miracles ” is a former solider from the Army ’ s elite Delta Force who becomes a bit of a drifter after he ’ s discharged . Now , he ’ s getting ready to head overseas to work for USAID after the passing of his beloved grandmother in Pensacola , Florida . First though , he wants to spend some time in Asheboro , North Carolina , to see if can
‘ Counting Miracles ’ ( Random House ) by Nicholas Sparks is the author ’ s 24th novel . Photo courtesy of Random House discover anything about the father he never knew . It ’ s there that Tanner collides with a teenager , Casey , after she accidentally backs into his meticulously reproduced 1968 Shelby GT500KR , pinning the soldier in town for what appears will be lengthy repairs to the muscle car . Meeting Casey ’ s mom — the ever gentleman Tanner drove the nerve-wracked teen home after the accident — the foundation is laid for a Nicholas Sparks ’ love story : “ A woman emerged from the house ,” Sparks writes of Tanner ’ s seeing Kaitlyn for the first time , with “ a tentativeness that hinted at past disappointment , or perhaps regret ;” while Casey upon seeing Tanner recognizes a “ readiness in the way he stood , an almost coiled intensity .”
The story of a small-town doctor , former soldier and old man , Jasper — who lives in a nearby cabin in the forest — unfolds with a few Sparksian twists , and those include the old man ’ s tragic life . As a stand-in for the biblical Job , Jasper ’ s part of the tale allows the author to tread holy ground more overtly than in past stories .
Speaking about that ground and more defining tropes such as racism , PTSD and teen angst , the author agreed to take a few questions about the new novel from his home on the Trent River in New Bern , North Carolina . The interview has been edited for clarity and length .
Tom Mayer : Nicholas , this is a bit of a different novel for you . The foundation of “ Counting Miracles ” is built on the Book of Job and you carry that theme through from the epi-
32 • MERIDIAN LIFE