Book #12: The Return, Nicholas Sparks

About the book:

Trevor Benson never intended to move back to New Bern, North Carolina. But when a mortar blast outside the hospital where he worked sent him home from Afghanistan with devastating injuries, the dilapidated cabin he'd inherited from his grandfather seemed as good a place to regroup as any.

Tending to his grandfather's beloved beehives, Trevor isn't prepared to fall in love with a local . . . yet, from their very first encounter, Trevor feels a connection with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson that he can't ignore. But even as she seems to reciprocate his feelings, she remains frustratingly distant, making Trevor wonder what she's hiding.

Further complicating his stay in New Bern is the presence of a sullen teenage girl, Callie, who lives in the trailer park down the road. Trevor hopes Callie can shed light on the mysterious circumstances of his grandfather's death, but she offers few clues -- until a crisis triggers a race to uncover the true nature of Callie's past, one more intertwined with the elderly man's passing than Trevor could ever have imagined.

In his quest to unravel Natalie and Callie's secrets, Trevor will learn the true meaning of love and forgiveness . . . and that in life, to move forward, we must often return to the place where it all began. 

Discussion Questions: 

Did you know this novel was set in New Bern, which is actually Nicholas Spark’s home town? 

 

Have you read any of Nicholas Sparks book’s before? Where did this rank for you out of those you’ve read and or the movies you’ve seen? 

 

This is more than a love story. This is the first time that Nicholas Sparks has tackled a “soft mystery” in a long time. How do you feel he did with this endeavor? 

 

What did you think of this storyline over all, did you find any parts of it believable or not? Relatable or not? 

How did you feel about the “conflict” Nicholas Sparks created? 

Multiple characters are racked with guilt that shapes the choices they make - usually 

isolating. Do you I denitrify with any of these instances? 

 

In a movie, who would you cast as Callie, Natalie, Trevor and his Grandpa? 

 

What did you think about each of the following character’s:

Trevor, who has PTSD? Natalie, who is haunted by her past? Callie, who appears to be a sullen teen rebel, but actually has much more depth than that?

 

Which one do you think struggled the most, Natalie, Trevor or Callie? 

 

Do you think Callie or Natalie had a bigger impact on Trevor’s life? 

 

Who is your favorite character in this story and why? 

 

What did the garbled words that his grandfather said before his death mean? Did you figure it out for yourself or were you surprised at the reveal? 

 

How did you feel about Trevor’s loss of his parent’s when he was young? Do you think it truly changed the course of his life? How about Natalie loosing her best friend? H

 

Have you ever had the loss of a parent or best friend, and could you find yourself relating to their struggles?  

 

How did you feel about Natalie being “frustratingly distant” with Trevor, do you understand when you learn her heartbreaking reason?

 

What did you think about how the back story of Callie being told little by little? 

 

Do you think she (Callie) and Trevor’s grandfather where a distraction that helped Trevor through his PTSD and recovery even more so? 

 

How did you feel about some of Trevor’s therapy sessions and therapist?
(for instance, one of my favorite parts, when he used Natalie’s name and didn’t nickname her like “yoga girl”)

 

What were the man's (Trevor’s grandpa) secrets, and how do they connect with Callie? 

 

How did you feel about the chemistry between Natalie and Trevor? 

 

Every bee has a job. They are always busy, doing exactly what they are suppose to do. As beekeeping prominently figures in the story, there is a  picture of the hive as a self-contained community. Do you believe this is a metaphor for an idealized society, or did it just fit the story arc?

Taking care of the bees was a central theme to connecting multiple characters. Why do you think such a task is disarming? 

How does someone first say I love you prior to the first kiss on a second date and do you feel it was well received? If someone said this to you under these circumstances would you reciprocate? 

Have you ever had an undeniable love like this?

Have you ever had to walk away from a love like this knowing it would be wrong to proceed? 

 

Trevor’s grandfather would have a bee sting him in his knee to help his arthritis. Did you know now that there is now medical documentation behind this? Have any of you used this kind of therapy for arthritic pain? 

 

Trevor Benson, blew up in an explosion, the mortar round and destruction in Afghanistan, but it was also the fact that this mortar round not only blew him up, but it blew up everything he thought he was, his career. Who are we if we suddenly don’t know what we’re supposed to do?

 

Have you ever had to completely restart after your life “blew up”?

 

How did you feel about the novel having a truly bittersweet ending? Why is it that love stories seem to be truer if they end bittersweet or tragically rather than “happy?”

 

Nicholas Sparks says, “The reality of love goes like this: All love stories, by definition, must end in tragedy. All of them. The more you love, the more it’s over. The more it hurts when it’s gone. And if it doesn’t hurt when it’s gone, then the love probably wasn’t as real as you thought it was.” Do you agree?