Book Review

Secrets of Her Past
Escape. If only she could tear free from the chains that restrict her at home. Not her home in Southport, North Carolina, but her previous residence. This is the story of Katie and her new life, trying to run away from her old one. The question in her mind is will her past be following her? Literally, following her, hunting her down?
Another story by Nicholas Sparks, Safe Haven still includes the elements of his romantic love stories of two people who were destined to be together, with obstacles in the way; however, this one strays away from his usual sappy, tear-inducing love story. Safe Haven brings a different side of Sparks, the dark and mysterious side.
Katie is trying to fit into the small town of Southport, living a quiet, busy life, waitressing and fixing up her desolate house. She is sheltered and only wants someplace to make her feel safe.
Safe. That’s how Katie wants to feel and that’s how she describes Southport. It’s safe.
But what is it safe from? The reader is brought along on a journey to uncover the truth behind her sudden appearance in a town where everybody knows everything about everyone. No one knows anything about Katie; probably because Katie isn’t really Katie.
Changing her identity, “Katie” flees from Boston to liberate herself from the restrictive home she once knew. She used to think that she was safe there too, until the punches and bruises came.
In Southport Katie finds the companionship of two friends; Jo, her next-door neighbor, and Alex, a widowed store owner. She begins to feel comfortable and starts to let her guard down, as she becomes closer with Jo, confiding in her some of her past, and also with spending time with Alex and his two children. Alex knows she has a past that Katie is trying to evade, but he gets to know her for the person she is, not for what she was.
The story unwraps into a hunt for this girl. The past will not give up that easily on what was lost, and Katie’s ties with Alex and his family will come to be in danger. She wanted to disappear from his radar, but he found her, like he always said he would. The past is always with her, no matter where she goes.
Breaking free is the goal. The mystery of Katie’s past and why she can’t let go constantly makes the book difficult to put down. Suckling at the timidity and evasiveness that encompasses Katie, you don’t want to leave the world Sparks created until you know what is battling in the back of her mind. It’s a fairly quick and easy read, but it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat, always wanting to turn the page one more time before you stop reading.
If you’re looking for a traditional Sparks novel that makes you fall in love with the characters and the setting of the story you’ll find that, but in an unconventional way for him. He takes a step out with new elements of darkness and sadistic intrigue that will draw the reader into the pages. You’ll find yourself wrapped in Katie’s emotional struggle from an oppressed and punishing lifestyle to trying to find a normal, bland life where she can just be her, without interference.
The change was surprising, and some of his usual followers may not appreciate the different angle, but it was a successful change of how love can overcome even the darkest of secrets.