Dear John

Soldiers in World War 2 called them “Dear Johns” – letters written from wives or girlfriends back home who couldn’t wait or had found someone else. It’s no surprise the “Dear John” from author Nicholas Sparks is filled with distance, longing, and broken hearts.
John Tyree is a rowdy type from North Carolina who straightens out his life by joining the US Army, then tangles it back up on leave when he meets college student Savannah Lynn Curtis. She’s a near-perfect straight arrow, and in typical Nicholas Sparks fashion, they manage to exchange an “I love you” by the third date.
Their two week romance consists of walking tours, cheeseburgers, and surfing lessons, but by the time John is packing his suitcase to return overseas, they are vowing eternal love. John promises to write regularly, email, and call when he can, and Savannah promises to wait. Their pledges are easy to keep in the beginning, but – as in the case of many long distance loves – eventually the two start drifting apart.
The “Dear John” letter from Savannah still comes as a surprise to him, but rather than trying to contact his lost love, John signs up for another tour of duty. It takes his father’s funeral to bring him back to North Carolina.
Sparks sets up the reunion of the two in a scenario that is rife with possibilities. Savannah’s husband isn’t home and she surprises John with an offer to cook dinner. In a situation reminiscent of the ill-fated scene in Ethan Frome, the two are alone in the house with all the tension of the love they once shared.
Suffice to say, Edith Wharton would have played it differently – but “Dear John” will satisfy fans of Nicholas Sparks with its short simple style, easy prose, and trademark poignant moments.