Nicholas Sparks, responsible for millions of tears and fanciful romantic fantasies, has done it again, but this time, it’s Jewish. The Longest Ride is the novelist’s first story featuring Jewish protagonists. Ira Levinson is a 91-year-old Southern Jew stuck in his car after an accident, deliriously talking to his deceased wife, Ruth. Sparks thinks his readers will love the characters, the Forward reports:
“It was something I hadn’t done before and I thought people would like it. Also, not a lot of people know there are Jewish people in the South. We all know there are a lot of Jewish people in New York and other big cities. Not a lot of people realize how prominent they are in the history of the South. New Bern is the home of the first synagogue in North Carolina.”
Hopefully this one makes it to the silver screen. It’s due time for another lengthy cry.
(Photo by Vallery Jean/Getty)