Message In A Bottle

Message in a Bottle (1998) is the second novel by Nicholas Sparks, the follow-up to his incredibly popular romance, The Notebook. It was inspired by Sparks’s father’s experience after the sudden and unexpected death of Sparks’s mother. They’d been married for 27 years when an accident on a horse led her to develop a cerebral hemorrhage. It was a fluke, a random accident, just like the one that claims Catherine’s life and that of her unborn child in the novel. Like Garrett, Sparks’s father spent years in mourning, unsure of how to function in the world without his wife. Message in a Bottle is a bittersweet love story that explores life’s unpredictability, love’s healing properties, and the power of memory. Warner Bros. Pictures adapted the story into a romantic drama in 1999, starring Kevin Costner and Robin Wright as Garrett and Theresa. Sparks has written several other best-selling romances such as A Walk to Remember, Dear John, The Longest Ride, and The Best of Me.

This guide refers to the Grand Central Publishing paperback edition (2016).

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of pregnancy loss and death.

Plot Summary

Theresa Osborne sits on the beach at Cape Cod and rereads three letters. She sees the spot where she first glimpsed a message inside a bottle. When she found it, she was staying with her best friend, Deanna, while her 12-year-old son, Kevin, visited his father—Theresa’s ex-husband, David. Theresa is a 36-year-old columnist for the Boston Times, and Deanna is her boss. David was unfaithful, and Theresa hasn’t dated much since their split. On the day she found the bottle, she felt alone in the world and sorry for herself. The bottle contained a poignant love letter from a man named Garrett to his wife, Catherine. After finding it, Theresa returns to the house and shows it to Deanna, wondering what it would be like to be loved this way. The letter references Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina, and Deanna suggests that Garrett likely lives in nearby Wilmington. She wants to run the letter in Theresa’s column, and Theresa eventually agrees, using only initials and omitting geographical details.

Theresa returns home to Boston the next week. When she returns to work, her desk is overflowing with letters about the column that included Garrett’s letter. A caller asks if the letter Theresa published was from “Garrett” to “Catherine,” as she found a similar letter years ago. She faxes Theresa a copy. In this letter, Garrett wonders why he and Catherine were forced to part. The letter makes Theresa emotional, and it proves to her that there are men capable of the love she wants. A few days later, Theresa finds an article that contains paragraphs from a similar letter. She contacts the author, who faxes her the whole letter; it, too, is from Garrett to Catherine. Deanna and Theresa piece together what they know about him, including the name of his boat, Happenstance, and that he owns a scuba business. Deanna makes some calls and learns that Garrett’s shop is called Island Diving. The next day, Theresa flies to Wilmington.

Theresa finds the shop, where newspaper articles about Garrett and the Happenstance hang. A man there tells her Garrett is at the docks, where she easily finds the boat. Garrett approaches her, noticing her attractiveness, and they talk. Theresa admits she’s never been sailing, and he invites her out that evening, during which she learns more about him and Catherine. Catherine was hit by a car and died three years earlier. Garrett and his father, Jeb, are close, and they are both widowers. Theresa is impressed by Garrett’s skill on the boat, and their conversation is easy, but Garrett often gets lost in his memories. Theresa worries she won’t see him again, so she leaves her jacket behind. The next day, Garrett goes to work, thinking of Theresa and how something doesn’t sit right about their meeting. Later, however, Theresa returns for her jacket, and he’s glad to see her again. They go to lunch, and Garrett confesses that he’s never left North Carolina. He says he was married for six years, but his wife passed away. Before they part, Garrett invites Theresa to his house for dinner, but he feels like he’s betraying Catherine.

That night, Garrett grills steaks, and Theresa sees pictures of Catherine all over the house. Garrett feels happy and admits that the days with Theresa have been wonderful. Theresa isn’t sure he’s ready to move on from Catherine yet, but they make love. Theresa and Garrett spend the next four days together, though he is sometimes overcome by memories. Theresa wants to continue the relationship despite the distance between their homes, but Garrett is reluctant. When Theresa accuses him of living in the past, he says he “thinks” he’s in love with her. The next morning, Theresa goes home. Garrett sends a dozen roses to her office, but Theresa isn’t sure he’ll ever move past his grief. Deanna encourages her to give it time. A few weeks later, Theresa and Kevin go to North Carolina, where Garrett gives them scuba lessons. They have a wonderful time together, and when Garrett says he loves her, she says it back. After they leave, however, Garrett continues dreaming about losing Catherine, and he tells Jeb he doesn’t know if he can keep seeing Theresa, because she lives so far away.

Theresa asks him to visit Boston, and this helps Garrett feel better. He asks if she could write for a different paper, but Theresa says leaving would be hard. Deanna says Theresa and Garrett will have to decide on a home if they want to stay together. They get together several times in the next few months but avoid discussing the future. Soon, Garrett tells Jeb he wants to marry Theresa, but Jeb can tell he’s not over Catherine. The next time Garrett travels to Boston, he tells Theresa he wants her to move to Wilmington. They argue, and she goes for a walk. While she’s out, he decides to write her a note, and he finds his letters to Catherine. When Theresa returns, she tries to explain, but Garrett is too upset to listen. He leaves and catches the first flight home. The next night, Theresa arrives unexpectedly. She explains how she came by the letters and how they brought her to him, but she doesn’t think he’s over Catherine yet. She leaves after this and flies home.

For a year, Theresa feels haunted by Garrett’s face as she left. One day, Jeb calls, and she flies to Wilmington at his request. The narrator describes what happened to Garrett a few days earlier. He knew a storm was coming, but he thought there was time to take out the Happenstance and send Catherine a final message. He watched the ominous clouds roll in, and the wind tossed the boat. The Happenstance capsized and sank, forcing him to try to swim to shore. His body was found the morning Jeb called Theresa. Before Theresa leaves, Jeb gives her some pictures and the three letters that brought her and Garrett together.

A year later, Theresa is back in Cape Cod. She recalls a package she received from Garrett containing a glass bottle with a note inside. In the message, he asked for her forgiveness and said she was his destiny. He described a dream in which Catherine said she brought the bottle to Theresa. Garrett told Theresa about his plan to take the boat out to send his last letter. Recently, Jeb told Theresa it was time to let Garrett go. Now, she has written a letter to Garrett saying that his love for her gives her the courage to move forward. She seals the note inside the bottle and tosses it into the sea.