‘The Notebook‘ by Nicholas Sparks was one of the most loved romance novels in the United States in the late 1990s. However, the novel had praise-singing readers and critics as much as it had readers who were not so enthusiastic in their reviews. And each side of the divide had its reasons for its opinions.

Characters

In ‘The Notebook‘ by Nicholas Sparks, Noah and Allie are the two characters at the centre of the narrative. The narrative is so exhaustively theirs that the other characters appear to function as only catalysts to the plot. When the story begins, it is an octogenarian Noah that we see readying to go ‘read the notebook aloud’ to his ailing wife, who has been afflicted by a sort of senile dementia, in the hope that ‘the miracle that has come to dominate [his] life will once again prevail.’ It is not until the story draws to an end that one gets a glimpse into what this miracle was supposed to be.

One point that detracts from the characterization of ‘The Notebook’ is the absence of flaws in the lead character, Noah. Noah has no flaws and possesses superhuman qualities that make him an unrealistic character. This perfection in some of the characters makes it difficult for a reader to find them relatable.

Structure

‘The Notebook‘ is a hundred pages long with just eight chapters. This makes it a novel that can be finished by an average reader in a couple of hours. This brevity of volume is always an encouragement to read a novel, and ‘The Notebook’ by Nicholas Sparks scores full points in this regard, just like Ayn Rand‘s ‘Anthem‘.

The first chapter of the novel introduces a character on a mission to read to someone from a notebook. Then, the bulk of the story covering from chapter two to chapter seven is the main character’s reading of the story of their life together to his wife. So the reader just happens to be some sort of eavesdropper merely overhearing the reading as the narrator proceeds with it.

The use of a narrative frame within the story adds layers of brightness to what might have been a gloomy novel about troubled people living in a nursing home. The narrative frame also adds variety to the setting and the timelines in the novel.

Philosophical Themes

‘The Notebook’ by Nicholas Sparks is a short read but is craftily laced with themes that have philosophical depths. The themes explore the nexus between memories and emotions. It begs the question of how much humans are capable of feeling in the absence of memory and evokes deep thoughts on the subject of love and endurance.

The novel also explores the theme of aging and mortality in humans and gives musings on the changes in perspective on life and priorities as people grow old and become physically frail.

A Sentimental Story

The story of Noah and Allie in ‘The Notebook’ is a sentimental one. It begins with an old man who rues about the loss of the physical prowess of his youth as he goes to read a story to his wife. The lead character Noah flashes back to the past, where we understand his background and motivations a little more. However, his musings are exaggeratedly sentimental and sometimes border on self-pity.

The characters are overly emotional about mundane things, and this makes many parts of the novel boring to read. While the overall idea of the story is a heart-warming love story, the delivery makes it mawkishly amorous.

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