“You can’t turn love on and off like a light switch, no matter how hard you try. All you can do is wall it off, one brick at a time, until you’ve created an impenetrable fortress around your emotions. And once that fortress is built, you camouflage it so well that even you can’t see it anymore.”The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred is a heartbreaking love story between two people who have loved one another since they were children. But due to certain circumstances, Alix and Nick's love for one another was also the reason that eventually tore them apart. Told from the first point of view, Alix first met Nick when she was only eight years old and he was ten years old. Spanning a total of nine years, the first part of the book essentially tells us how their friendship formed.
Coming from two completely different worlds, Alix is a daughter from a well-respected family while Nick is the son of Frank Anderson who is often drunk and owns the salvage yard. While accompanying the Judge, Alix's grandfather, she ends up meeting and befriending Nick with just a tin can of bee balm. The start of their relationship was absolutely beautiful and heartrending once you look at the whole picture. Nick has always believed that Alix deserved someone who was much better than him. But at the same time, the possibility of living a life without her was just not possible. The same would of course be said of Alix.
“There was only one boy I wanted, and I lived for the times when I could be alone with him. It was simple. When I was with Nick, I was happy. When I wasn't, I was restless and miserable.”
As Nick and Alix grew older, their love for one another was undeniable and it was getting harder and harder to resist. I can honestly say that I loved how realistic their relationship was. It wasn't fast-pace or love at first sight. It was a slow progress through the years until finally they both started realize it. But alas, as you know from the synopsis, their is a huge twist in this novel. One in which involves Nick's father being shot dead and Nick leaving Alix for fifteen years. Just thinking about their last scene together brings about tears to my eyes.
“To my surprise, Nick reached under his shirt and pulled out the half-heart pendant. With his gaze fixed on mine, he slid the chain over my head. “No one should have to go through life with only half a heart,” he whispered.”
In my opinion, this is definitely one of the most heartbreaking and sweetest romances that I have read in awhile. Even though there was so much pain and lies between Nick and Alix, their love for one another still shined through. It wasn't perfect, but in the end, everything did work out one way or another. This is what I call true love. Overall, so many tears came out for this book and I can say that they were all worthy tears.
Rating: ★★★★★
