True Believer

TRUE BELIEVERS By Nicholas Sparks  - To be discussed on Wed. Feb. 6, 2013 at Geneseo Public Library at 6:30 pm                                          

Jeremy Marsh is the ultimate New Yorker: handsome, almost always dressed in black, and part of the media elite. An expert on debunking the supernatural with a regular column in “Scientific American,” he’s just made his first appearance on national TV. When he receives a letter from the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, about ghostly lights that appear in a legend-shrouded cemetery, he can’t resist driving down to investigate. Here, in this tightly knit community, Lexie Darnell runs the town’s library, just as her mother did before the accident that left Lexie an orphan. Disappointed by past relationships, including one that lured her away from home, she is sure of one thing: her future is in Boone Creek, close to her grandmother and all the other people she loves. Jeremy expects to spend a quick week in “the sticks” before speeding back to the city. But from the moment he sets eyes on Lexie, he is intrigued and attracted to this beautiful woman who speaks with a soft drawl and confounding honesty. And Lexie, while hesitating to trust this outsider, finds herself thinking of Jeremy more than she cares to admit. Now, if they are to be together, Jeremy Marsh must make a difficult choice: return to the life he knows, or do something he’s never done before—take a giant leap of faith. A story about taking chances and following your heart, True Believer will make you, too, believe in the miracle of love.

Questions:

1    In the opening chapter of True Believer, science reporter Jeremy Marsh exposes the tricks of a famous psychic who claims to talk to the dead. Do you think it is possible to communicate with the dead? Why do so many people want to believe we can?

2  Also in the opening chapter, Jeremy, a New Yorker, says that Boone Creek, North Carolina is "right between the middle of nowhere and ‘where are we exactly?’" It is the first of many "put-downs" of the small town. Is it common in America for urbanites to feel superior to those who live in small towns?

3-- Like Boone Creek, many American towns and cities such as Gettysburg, Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans, and Boston have "ghost tours."  Have you ever taken one?  Have you or someone you know ever seen a ghost? Do you believe in them?

4-- Lexie Darnell has been hurt in relationships and she admits she isn’t a good judge of men. Why do you think she is attracted to men who are ultimately wrong for her?

5-- Lexie is in a one-sided relationship with police officer Rodney Hopper, one-sided because he loves her and she doesn’t feel the same. Do you think she is stringing him along? Why does Rodney keep pursuing Lexie when he knows his feelings aren’t reciprocated? Have you ever been involved in a one-sided relationship and, if so, what role did you assume?

6-- -The reader finally learns that Jeremy’s marriage failed not only because he traveled for his job, but because he was sterile.  Do you think this would be a "deal-breaker" in most marriages?

7-- Jeremy pursues Lexie to the Outer Banks because he felt like he "didn’t have a choice." [p. 217] Do you think that this kind of compelling desire is a component of "true love"?  How does "true love" differ from a crush, a fling, or just sexual attraction?

8--Lexie’s grandmother Doris says she has premonitions and presents some proof for this, but Jeremy remains a skeptic.  Is Jeremy closed-minded? Do you think women are more likely than men to believe in the supernatural? Why or why not?

  

9--Doris interferes, with good intentions, in Lexie’s life.  How much , or when, do you think a mother or grandmother should interfere in a daughter’s life?

10--Doris says that Lexie "was a survivor" and would get over Jeremy faster than Jeremy would get over Lexie.  Do you agree?

11--Lexie doesn’t feel a long-distance relationship with Jeremy can work.  Do you think they could have worked out a compromise? Why does Jeremy make the sacrifice and not Lexie?

12--The book ends with a miracle.  Or is it something other than a miracle? What impact do you think this will have on Jeremy’s skepticism?  Is this miracle different from the paranormal events he rejects?