Here the novel moves into the epilogue, taking us four months forward to June. In the end, he simply cannot bring himself to pull the plug. That time has passed, and now Travis is faced with the worst decision of his life: honor Gabby's wishes, or use the fact that the only ones who know about the will are Gabby, Stephanie, an absentee lawyer, and himself, in order to put her in a long-term care facility with the hope she will awaken.

Years before, Travis and Gabby made out living wills insisting they not be kept on life support after a given amount of time.

By the end of part one, that true love has conquered their resistances and Travis and Gabby become lovers. This almost instantaneous recognition of true love is a common element in many of Sparks' books, where the existence of love-at-first-sight is undeniable. This portends a much larger choice that Travis will face later in the book.Īs Travis and Gabby spend more time together, they quickly fall in love. This is the first clear occurrence in the book of the overall pervading theme: the choices we must make in life and how far we'll go for true love. Gabby is forced to choose between the two men, and she eventually breaks it off with Kevin to take a chance with Travis. Gabby, in particular, is at odds with her growing feelings for Travis due to her long-time relationship with Kevin, who is a nice guy but who isn't truly the right guy. A disgruntled Gabby leaves and Stephanie, Travis' younger sister who had been listening from the house, is quick to suggest that her big brother finds the new neighbor attractive.įrom this contentious beginning, part one of the book follows the growing attraction of the two characters as they try to resist the natural chemistry between them. Unable to get a word in edge-wise, Travis lets Gabby have her say, and then suggests she take Molly to the local veterinarian. Already harboring an unflattering view of Travis, thinking him inconsiderate and irresponsible after she hears his music playing loudly and she gets knocked down by his dog, Gabby lets loose with an emotional rant. Unfortunately, Travis' first introduction to Gabby is when she marches over to his house and accuses his dog, Moby, of getting her dog, Molly, pregnant. Into this idyllic life marches Gabby Holland, a physician's assistant who has moved to the town to be closer to her boyfriend, Kevin, and who is now living right next door to Travis. The group often wonders if Travis has commitment issues, but he feels he simply hasn't met the right person yet.

Although single while his friends are married, Travis has no regrets about bachelorhood, enjoying life with his friends and their families. In part one of the novel, the story flashes back to May of 1996 when Travis was thirty-two and living and working happily in his hometown of Beaufort, North Carolina (where the story takes place,) spending time with his childhood friends Matt, Joe, and Laird.

Choice Summer by Shirley Brinkerhoff