The novel Two by Two written by Nicholas Sparks is a heart wrenching story of a dad who goes through a painful divorce as a single dad. This novel not only tugs at your heart strings, but it also creates a deep level of connectivity and relatability for others going through the same life event. It also challenges social norms on multiple levels.
This novel begins with what seems to be the perfect family. Russell Green is a successful advertising executive, husband, and father to six-year-old daughter London. Russell’s wife, Vivian, is a stay at home mom. Russell is a hard-working man who is dedicated to his job and his family, however, that does not seem to be enough for Vivian. Slowly but surely there begins to be small signs of trouble ahead regarding Russell and Vivian’s marriage. When Russell decides to quit his job, and begin his own marketing company, Vivian becomes enraged and acts out by going on shopping sprees and insulting Russell.
Vivian then decides to go back to work for a real estate firm owned by a billionaire playboy Walter Spannerman. Russell knows of Spannerman and his ways, and when he voices his concerns to Vivian, but she assures him she is dedicated to the job only. Russell then has to adjust to a new role in the family, which is taking care of London and balancing his own company. Although this was a struggle for Russell in the beginning, both Russell and London start to really love being with each other. While things are going great with Russell and his daughter, Vivian slowly starts to work late and stops coming home at all.
Russell gets hit with a bombshell when Vivian tells him not only is she moving to Atlanta for her job, but she is also in love with Spannerman and leaving him. Russell finds himself weak, trying to raise London with the absence of her mother. Russell and London get used to their new life which consists of a joint custody agreement between Russell and Vivian. However, when Russell starts to spend more time with past girlfriend and mother to London’s best friend, Vivian becomes angry and fights for full custody of London. Russell fights for London throughout the novel, and eventually Vivian has a change of heart and realizes London needs both parents. Russell and his new girlfriend move to Atlanta in order to have shared custody.
From the beginning this novel challenges social norms of what a typical family should be. Even when Russell and Vivian were still together, society often does not accept the idea of a father staying or working from home to take care of the child. Russell had to completely reverse roles, and he had a huge learning curve when it came to cooking, cleaning, parenting, etc. I feel other new stay at home fathers can relate to this story as they can understand just how difficult it can be to adjust.
Social norms were also broken during the time period where Vivian was absent from London’s life. Typically, when parents separate, the mother has majority custody of the child. In this specific scenario, society would think Russel would be the one who worked too much and left the family for another woman. I really enjoyed how they reversed the roles completely. Russell had to figure out how to be a single parent in a world full of other mothers, and no other single fathers to turn to.
This novel also does a great job at not only showing the struggles of going through a difficult divorce, but it also includes the scary process of falling in love again. Dating can be extremely difficult after a divorce, especially if there are kids involved. I believe this novel gives hope or guidance to all single parents who are trying to date again.
Two by Two is a compelling story that not only serves as a guide for single father, but also a social norm rule breaker. Russell is a great example of how single fathers can successfully raise their child on their own, and find love again after a painful divorce. This novel is a refreshing change from the typical love story, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading along.
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