I Thought You Were Dead

Reading Pete Nelson’s novel I Thought You Were Dead: A Love Story was a guilty pleasure, like eating a tater tot casserole or listening to country music. My sophistication might have suffered a few lumps, but the experience was satisfying.

Nelson may not be a Booker finalist, but he tells a damn good story. Despite our cynicism and literary pretenses, most of us enjoy happy-ever-afters with the good guy mending fences, finding redemption, and getting the girl.

Paul Gustavson, Nelson’s 40-something protagonist, carries with him the burden of a Minnesota angst as he tries to make a life for himself in a Massachusetts college town. His baggage includes a divorce, a bad relationship with his failing father, and an assignment to write a Nature for Morons book.

(Excerpts from the writing project are surprisingly engaging!)

In addition he has a drinking problem, a lack of success with romantic intimacy and an ancient well-loved dog.

But Paul’s sense of humor brightens what could be a dark comedy. His dog Stella talks to him, for instance. While some readers might find the canine conversations off-putting, those of us who routinely talk with our dogs realize that the bowser chats are metaphorical. And most important, Paul’s relationship with his dog (lifting her hindquarters to help her up steps, cleaning up after her accidents, or comforting her under the table during a storm) is infinitely humanizing.

While the plot might occasionally demand a suspension of disbelief, the strength of the writing and the depth of characterization are ample compensations. Readers will find the story compelling because of the narrative tension Nelson generates. And the book is an easy page-turner because of highly readable prose.

A spoiler alert: you’ll need a box of tissues; guys, read this book in private!

For beach reading pick up I Thought You Were Dead. If your vacation is not turning out to be what you had planned, if your summer job is less than satisfying, or if life seems to be throwing you a series of curve balls, this novel will offer you hope as well as entertainment.

I Thought You Were Dead: A Love Story by Peter Nelson (264 pages)

Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2010.