James Patterson: Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas

By JOHN CONNOR

The dust-jacket of Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas promises the reader it is "For Everyone Who's Loved and Lost and Learned to Love Again". While hardboiled cynics turn away with their fingers down their throats, hopeless romantics rush past, eager for a feast of sentimental schmaltz.

Yet there is precious little schmaltz in this novel.

Katie Wilkinson is young, tall, beautiful and successful.

As if things aren't marvellous enough, she is also in love with Matt Harrison, the most wonderful man in the world. A published poet, he is handsome, kind, thoughtful and loving. During Katie's birthday month of June he sends her a single red rose every day.

Before the cynics sneer, however, it's all too good to be true. One evening Katie has the table set and a candlelit dinner prepared. Matt turns up on the doorstep and, without a word of explanation, tells her the whole thing is off.

The next day he sends her "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas". Suzanne is Matt's wife, Nicholas his baby son.

Before the romantics sigh with regret, however, this is no "naive woman jilted by heartless scoundrel" story.

Desperately searching for answers, Katie reads the diary through her tears. Heartless scoundrels excepted, most other readers will find the print blurring at times as their eyes mist up.

We're being manipulated by the writer, the cynics complain. It's a trick: to create sympathetic, good-hearted characters, then have them suffer the cruelties of fate.

James Patterson, who steps here for the first time outside his usual thriller genre, is a brilliant master of the trick but don't be fooled; there's more here than meets the eye.

Martha's Vineyard is a great setting for this kind of novel but in reality not everyone there is as nice as Patterson would have us believe. Matt Harrison, in reality, would never be published - his poems are flowery, turgid, sentimental tripe.

Both these criticisms are true, but it's a small victory for the cynics. In reality sympathetic, good-hearted people sometimes suffer the cruelties of fate. In reality people do love, lose and love again. Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas is no trick. Like real life, it's a story full of loss, sadness and hope. In clear, simple prose Patterson tells it beautifully.






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Reviewed by John Connor

T HE dust-jacket of Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas promises the reader it is "For Everyone Who's Loved and Lost and Learned to Love Again". While hardboiled cynics turn away with their fingers down their throats, hopeless romantics rush past, eager for a feast of sentimental schmaltz.

Yet there is precious little schmaltz in this novel.

Katie Wilkinson is young, tall, beautiful and successful.

As if things aren't marvellous enough, she is also in love with Matt Harrison, the most wonderful man in the world. A published poet, he is handsome, kind, thoughtful and loving. During Katie's birthday month of June he sends her a single red rose every day.

Before the cynics sneer, however, it's all too good to be true. One evening Katie has the table set and a candlelit dinner prepared. Matt turns up on the doorstep and, without a word of explanation, tells her the whole thing is off.

The next day he sends her "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas". Suzanne is Matt's wife, Nicholas his baby son.

Before the romantics sigh with regret, however, this is no "naive woman jilted by heartless scoundrel" story.

Desperately searching for answers, Katie reads the diary through her tears. Heartless scoundrels excepted, most other readers will find the print blurring at times as their eyes mist up.

We're being manipulated by the writer, the cynics complain. It's a trick: to create sympathetic, good-hearted characters, then have them suffer the cruelties of fate.

James Patterson, who steps here for the first time outside his usual thriller genre, is a brilliant master of the trick but don't be fooled; there's more here than meets the eye.

Martha's Vineyard is a great setting for this kind of novel but in reality not everyone there is as nice as Patterson would have us believe. Matt Harrison, in reality, would never be published - his poems are flowery, turgid, sentimental tripe.

Both these criticisms are true, but it's a small victory for the cynics. In reality sympathetic, good-hearted people sometimes suffer the cruelties of fate. In reality people do love, lose and love again. Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas is no trick. Like real life, it's a story full of loss, sadness and hope. In clear, simple prose Patterson tells it beautifully.

Headline

$22.95