Evans, Richard Paul: Finding Noel
Finding Noel
Writer: Richard Paul Evans
Genre: Fiction/Inspirational/Romance
Pages: 304
So when it comes to reading, I have two guilty pleasures. Richard Paul Evans is one of them. I was introduced to his work when I was a junior in high school. My honors English teacher read to us The Christmas Box, Evans's debut. The book worked its spell on me, so I picked it up and every book he's written since. All of his stories are, in their own way, inspirational--not always focusing on God (for that matter, God is never the focus of these stories, even when mentioned)--and all of his stories are, in their own way, romances--not without their share of tragedy. Some people might refer to Evans's work as sentimental, and at times, they might be right. But for me, sitting down with one of Evans's books is a break from the hustle and bustle of life and the cynicism that comes with it. His books are heart-warming and enjoyable and guaranteed to be fast reads. It took me less than three hours to get through this one.
His books are always released right around my birthday, so I always ask for them. Finding Noel was released in 2006, and I didn't get it for my birthday or Christmas, so I picked it up for myself. But I couldn't read it. How could I? It was a Christmas story and Christmas was over, so I stuck it on the shelf for 2007, determined to read it before Christmas hit.
The story is about Mark, a guy who's life has almost hit rock bottom, and on the night he's contemplating ending it all, he meets Macy, a girl who should be bitter and jaded by the cards life has dealt her, but isn't. They click, and he learns she's looking for her baby sister, Noel, who she was separated from when they were both taken from their drug addict father. The journey leads both of them to confront their pasts, their families, and their futures.
It's interesting, because while truth is always stranger than fiction, and while fiction writers are encouraged to ground their work in reality, we're always told that life doesn't make great or plausible fiction, and to alter things accordingly. So I was amused to learn that Evans based the character of Macy on a woman he knows in real life, who shared with him her experiences. He warns the reader that if Macy is too unbelievable, to meet this woman.
Fortunately, Evans writes for an audience that doesn't care about that kind of believability, though I'm curious if Macy's experiences growing up matched her source. Finding Noel is a fictional story, so it's hard to know where real life ends and truth begins, but talk about cringing during the details of Macy's experience with the adoption process. Granted, it took place in the seventies, but even now I think that for all the good work they hope to achieve, bad choices are still made when placing children in homes, and it's a sad, sorry thing.
The book alternates between Mark's first person POV and Macy's third. It's a simple story, light on the setting, strong on the dialogue and human emotion. Characters are simple but complex in their own way. There's not much I can SAY about this book, because to do so would ruin it. Though I did find one flaw: each chapter is dated, and in chapter two, labeled 1988, the character refers to a movie about a horse whisperer, which definitely did not come out until the nineties. Granted, there's the impression that this character is writing his story long after the events of the book have passed, but it still was a rather jarring comparison.
It's a good book. If you're a fan of Evans, you'll want to pick it up. If you want to read a romance written by a man, I'm not sure this is the first Evans book to go to, but off the top of my head, I'm not sure which is the best one either. Perhaps The Sunflower or The Last Promise. If you're in the mood for a really heart-warming Christmas tale, I wouldn't start with this book either, but rather the classic, The Christmas Box. Trust me, it'll work its magic on you too.
Next up: Poison by Chris Wooding