Dear John is a novel by American writer Nicholas Sparks, released in 2006.

Exposition

The story starts by explaining John Tyree's childhood in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was raised by a single dad who suffers with Asperger's syndrome and also an extreme obsession with coins. Sometimes, this is the only subject John can talk about with his father. He struggled to gain his father's affection and did reckless things to do so.

His life had no direction until he joined the U.S. Armed Forces. John struggles when he discovers that when he comes home on leave, but he falls in love with a girl named Savannah. After the September 11 attacks, he must ultimately decide between re-enlisting in the army, or returning home to be with her, but she ends up being in love and married to someone else.

Film adaptation

Dear John was adapted into a film in 2010 starring Channing Tatum

Channing Tatum

Channing Matthew Tatum is an American actor and film producer. He began his career as a fashion model and appearing in television commercials for Pepsi and Mountain Dew before turning to film roles...

 as John Tyree and Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My...

 as Savannah Curtis. The film was directed by Lasse Hallström

Lasse Hallström

Lars Sven "Lasse" Hallström is a Swedish film director. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for My Life as a Dog and later for The Cider House Rules .-Life and career:...

 and screenplay was written by Jamie Linden

Jamie Linden (writer)

Jamie Linden is an American screenwriter best known as the writer of 2006 film We Are Marshall. Also known as the writer of 2010 film Dear John.-Early life:...

.