Book review: A tale of good and evil with some homespun philosophy served up too

Philanthropist and best-selling novelist, Nicholas Sparks, is dogged by a 2019 court case in which, he states, “nearly every claim against me was dismissed”. 

He was accused of being religiously driven and bigoted in managing his educational foundation.

His latest work of fiction, Counting Miracles, contains little diversity; instead, he presents a clear division between Good and Evil. 

The tale could be a medieval romance: beautiful queen and princess, noble champion, white hart.

Those characters, within whose consciousness the reader is placed, are kind to other people and to animals, whereas the villains are projected only through their acts of cruelty.

Sparks upholds good, clean American values such as patriotism and service. His protagonist, Tanner Hughes, spent many years in the army, fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

After his discharge he devoted his attention to USAID in Cambodia, supporting causes like vaccination and education. 

His work still involved weapons, as armed guards are needed to protect the charity workers.

Back in North Carolina, he meets a divorcée and falls in love at first sight. Kaitlyn Cooper is a single mum, and a doctor who devotes some of her time to pro-bono work, delivering prescriptions to outreach patients in trailer parks, and serving up meals for the homeless.

Kaitlyn is a thoroughly good egg and beautiful to boot. But even with these attributes she struggles with her teenage daughter, Casey, who is in the rebellious stage.

Her adolescent son Mitch is less problematic, and it is through him that we meet Jasper. The latter, an elderly man with disfiguring scars, is teaching Mitch to whittle animals.

Jasper, whose father was a preacher, has lost his faith in God. His family perished after a house fire, in which he lost much of his skin, trying to rescue them, resulting in a monstrous appearance.

He now believes in the sanctity of the natural world. He accepts that it is the American way to hunt in the woods, but he is committed to a war against poachers. 

Hunting is permissible, yes, but the correct seasons must be respected, legal prey targeted, and appropriate guns deployed.

As the novel opens Jasper is on the lookout for a sign from God. Miracle viewing runs in his family and now that he has heard of a rare albino deer out in the forest, he feels that his time is nigh.

Inevitably some reprehensible low-lifes are out there, hoping to shoot the buck and wall-mount its magnificent head. 

One of them, Josh Littleton is linked to Casey as a prospective suitor. Thus Sparks sets his characters for the denouement.

To update the story Sparks introduces gentle challenges to the binary of good and evil. 

Tanner interrogates his function as a soldier and visits the families of his fallen comrades, attempting to understand and assuage the military actions of his country. 

He stands up to bullying whenever he witnesses it, embracing non-violence if possible.

Kaitlyn acknowledges her privilege and tries to share her good fortune. She funds the medication of her poorer patients and tirelessly nurtures them. 

She is constantly criticising herself, unnecessarily, about the way she raises children.

But, despite these good intentions, there is evil in the world. 

That which is blatant can be contained by our knight-in-shining-armour but spare a thought for the exotic animals in North Carolina Zoo, beloved by Mitch, but incarcerated for life despite their innocence.

If a “mom and apple-pie” story utilising Bible quotations, homespun philosophy and sentimental romance is your cuppa, Counting Miracles is the book for you.