A Bend in the Road
Encyclopedia
A Bend in the Road is the fifth novel by the American author Nicholas Sparks
, who also wrote the novels A Walk to Remember
, The Notebook
, and The Rescue. It was published in 2001.
Miles Ryan, a deputy sheriff in the North Carolina
town of New Bern
, loses his wife Missy in a hit-and-run accident. He wants to bring the driver that killed his wife to justice. Miles meets his son's teacher Sarah Andrews, who moved to his town from Baltimore
after a difficult divorce. Drawn together by Jonah's school troubles, the two start to date and eventually fall in love. The most significant date is when they go on the town's Ghost Walk and listen to a ghost story about a couple who lived in war times. The couple were forbidden to see each other, however, they communicated through the use of candles, which signified that they missed and loved each other. The man is killed by an order of the girl's father, sending the girl into depression. The night before, he had sent her a letter, asking her to marry him. Her response would be two candles for yes or one candle for no. She lights two candles and commits suicide over grief of her lost love.
Everything is going perfect between the two. Miles and Jonah meets Sarah's entire family and is somewhat sure of his future with her.
That's when a shocking secret is revealed. Miles is reminded of his past when information about Missy's accident is revealed. Brian, Sarah's brother, is revealed to be the one who hit Missy and the mysterious first-person narrator from the beginning of the book. Miles is enraged and believes that Sarah knew this from the beginning and planned everything out. Sarah is completely awestruck and doesn't know what to do. Miles explodes on Sarah and says that they're through. Sarah and Brian must fight and survive through Miles' dangerous anger and troubling wants for revenge, as Miles' past actions haunt them as they wait for something to happen.
Eventually, Miles' makes sense of everything and makes a decision. Miles waits at the cemetery by Missy's grave where he knows Brian will come. Brian does indeed come, carrying flowers and wondering when Miles would approach him. When Miles speaks to Brian, he is afraid, but decides to accept what might happen. Instead, Miles tells Brian to never mention the accident to anyone ever in his life, and that he forgives him, as long as he does something worthwhile with his life. Miles decides to keep Brian's confession as a secret, only between him and Sarah. Brian goes home, utterly surprised, but knows that what Miles said was right. He goes on with his life without a problem.
We flash-forward back to normal time when Brian is writing. He moved on from his tragedy and starts a brand new life by moving to California, getting married for the first time and becoming an ER doctor and has saved many lives over the course of the past few years, which makes him believe that he has done something worthwhile with his life. He ends his writing saying that he still sees Sarah often, although not as much as before due to the distance. He says that you may be able to guess what happened to Sarah and Miles.
The POV changes to Sarah, a few days after Miles said that they were over. She says that if he hasn't already called, then there is no chance that they're getting back together. She gets out of her car and looks up at her apartment window when she sees something unexpected, two candles are lighted and Miles and Jonah are waiting for her upstairs.
Nicholas Sparks (author)
Nicholas Charles Sparks is an internationally-bestselling American novelist and screenwriter. He has 16 published novels, with thematic ideas that include cancer, death and love. Six have been adapted to film, including Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe,...
, who also wrote the novels A Walk to Remember
A Walk to Remember (novel)
A Walk to Remember is a novel by American writer Nicholas Sparks, released in October 1999. The novel, set in the mid-1950s in Beaufort, North Carolina, is a story of two teenagers who fall in love with each other despite the disparity of their personalities...
, The Notebook
The Notebook
The Notebook is a 1996 romantic novel by American novelist Nicholas Sparks, based on a true story. The novel was later adapted into a popular romance film by the same name in 2004.-Background:...
, and The Rescue. It was published in 2001.
Plot summary
A Bend in the Road tells the story of Miles Ryan and Sarah Andrews. It is written in both first and third-person, the primary third-person narrative emphasis is equally split between Miles's and Sarah's stories. The first person narrator remains unknown through the majority of the novel; however, the first person narrator is somehow stated in the story to be the one who was the driver who killed Miles' wife, Missy Ryan. The majority of the story takes place in 1988.Miles Ryan, a deputy sheriff in the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
town of New Bern
New Bern, North Carolina
New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...
, loses his wife Missy in a hit-and-run accident. He wants to bring the driver that killed his wife to justice. Miles meets his son's teacher Sarah Andrews, who moved to his town from Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
after a difficult divorce. Drawn together by Jonah's school troubles, the two start to date and eventually fall in love. The most significant date is when they go on the town's Ghost Walk and listen to a ghost story about a couple who lived in war times. The couple were forbidden to see each other, however, they communicated through the use of candles, which signified that they missed and loved each other. The man is killed by an order of the girl's father, sending the girl into depression. The night before, he had sent her a letter, asking her to marry him. Her response would be two candles for yes or one candle for no. She lights two candles and commits suicide over grief of her lost love.
Everything is going perfect between the two. Miles and Jonah meets Sarah's entire family and is somewhat sure of his future with her.
That's when a shocking secret is revealed. Miles is reminded of his past when information about Missy's accident is revealed. Brian, Sarah's brother, is revealed to be the one who hit Missy and the mysterious first-person narrator from the beginning of the book. Miles is enraged and believes that Sarah knew this from the beginning and planned everything out. Sarah is completely awestruck and doesn't know what to do. Miles explodes on Sarah and says that they're through. Sarah and Brian must fight and survive through Miles' dangerous anger and troubling wants for revenge, as Miles' past actions haunt them as they wait for something to happen.
Eventually, Miles' makes sense of everything and makes a decision. Miles waits at the cemetery by Missy's grave where he knows Brian will come. Brian does indeed come, carrying flowers and wondering when Miles would approach him. When Miles speaks to Brian, he is afraid, but decides to accept what might happen. Instead, Miles tells Brian to never mention the accident to anyone ever in his life, and that he forgives him, as long as he does something worthwhile with his life. Miles decides to keep Brian's confession as a secret, only between him and Sarah. Brian goes home, utterly surprised, but knows that what Miles said was right. He goes on with his life without a problem.
We flash-forward back to normal time when Brian is writing. He moved on from his tragedy and starts a brand new life by moving to California, getting married for the first time and becoming an ER doctor and has saved many lives over the course of the past few years, which makes him believe that he has done something worthwhile with his life. He ends his writing saying that he still sees Sarah often, although not as much as before due to the distance. He says that you may be able to guess what happened to Sarah and Miles.
The POV changes to Sarah, a few days after Miles said that they were over. She says that if he hasn't already called, then there is no chance that they're getting back together. She gets out of her car and looks up at her apartment window when she sees something unexpected, two candles are lighted and Miles and Jonah are waiting for her upstairs.
External links
- A Bend In The Road by Nicholas Sparks, RTÉRTERTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
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