Entry Two: Outside Reading

Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas starts out with Katie, a publisher in New York. Her boyfriend, Matt dumped her, more suddenly than she expected. Matt gave Katie the impression that they were going to get married and he told her he was no longer married. After he broke it off, something didn’t seem right. She was so depressed; she took the day off of work. When she got home there was a package on her front step. Thinking it was from her publishing job, Katie almost didn’t open it. Then she noticed it was Matt’s handwriting. Inside, was a diary with a note on top. It read something like, “Katie, I had to break up with you. I just couldn’t do it any longer. I hope this explains a little about why. I love you.” It seemed to me that he was married and he was just dragging this affair out, but he sends Katie mixed messages like saying I love you. The diary was written by Suzanne, his wife, for their child, Nicholas. James Patterson does a good job on hooking the reader to want to buy into this twisted love story. Suzanne started to write the diary so her baby Nicholas could know everything that happened in her life and what she was thinking at that point in time. She lived in New York as a heavily busy doctor with a routine only the workaholic in her could master. One day at the Public Garden, she got a collapsing pain in her chest. She was almost near death, but then on a miracle survived her first heart attack in her thirties. Finally, Suzanna realized that she wasn’t taking the time to really enjoy life, so she moved back to Martha’s Vineyard where she grew up. She took up a practice and bought a quaint cottage by the water. In the diary, we come to find out that she ran into a guy she knew 20 years ago. He was quite rich and drove a green Jag. They hit it off right away and went on some dates. His name was Matt. To fix up her house she hired a painter named Picasso. Then, without warning Matt stops returning her calls and is nowhere to be found on the small island. Picasso asked Suzanne on a date, but she declined. Eventually, she gave in though. Come to find his name really wasn’t Picasso. It was Matthew Harrison. After a while, they fell in love. He took Suzanne to visit his mother, which he apparently had never done before and she had never felt this way about a man before. Katie read this diary still unaware of how it would explain anything. So, she found out that the guy she was in love with, really was married. Katie wanted to hate Suzanne so badly, but she couldn’t. Everything about her seemed humble, mature, and selfless. I still don’t understand how this diary has anything to do with Katie. Did Suzanne know about Katie? Was Matt cheating? Did Suzanne have another heart attack, but this time didn’t live through it? Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas is very compelling. It’s hard for me to put it down. I can’t wait to find out what really did happen to Suzanne and why Matt got up and left Katie. It’s a book filled with passion, emotion, and suspense.