I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD: REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD
BY PETER NELSON

ABOUT THE BOOK:

For Paul Gustavson, a hack writer for the wildly popular For Morons series, life is a succession of obstacles. His wife has left him, his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, his girlfriend is dating another man, he has impotency issues, and his overachieving brother invested his parents' money in stocks that tanked. Still, Paul has his friends at Bay State bar, a steady line of cocktails, and a new pair of running shoes (he’s promised himself to get in shape). And then there’s Stella, the one constant in his life, who gives him sage advice, doesn’t judge him, and gives him unconditional love. However, Stella won’t accompany Paul into his favorite dive bar. "I'll roll on dead carp, I'll even eat cat turds, but that place grosses me out." Stella, you see, is Paul's aging Lab-shepherd mix, and she knows Paul better than he knows himself. In I Thought You Were Dead, author Pete Nelson delivers a novel that is all at once heartwarming, heartbreaking, and heart-wrenchingly funny. Most of all, it’s a story that proves that when a good dog is by your side—especially one with whom you can have an engaging conversation—life can be full of surprises.
Read and excerpt HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Pete Nelson is the author of several books, including Left for Dead. He is also a singer-songwriter with a select but devoted following. He is not, however, the Pete Nelson who writes books about tree houses, although he has nothing against them. He lives in Westchester County, New York.

REVIEW:

I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD, the new novel by Pete Nelson, is the somewhat quirky story of Paul Gustavson who is a freelance writer, currently writing the book Nature for Morons, part of the outrageously popular Morons series. However, things aren’t going really well for Paul right now. His wife has left him, and his girlfriend is dating another man at the same time she is dating Paul. On top of that, he suddenly learns that his father has just had a stroke and Paul will have to go home to see what all is going on with his Dad.

The one positive thing in Paul’s life is Stella; his clever, sensible and faithful companion who happens to be an aged German Shepherd/yellow Lab mix. Although Stella needs help climbing the stairs and her health is declining, at least she is someone Paul can depend on and talk to. The odd thing, although many dog lovers speak to their dogs, is that Stella is one that answers back. I found it rather disconcerting at first because the story makes it out to be a normal thing even if only Paul can hear her. However, as the book went on, Stella’s part is so well written that she becomes a successfully well developed and believable character. It is this peculiar relationship that makes Paul seem convincing and will enable readers to root for him.

So when Paul’s father is hospitalized, Paul must return home, hoping to come to some kind of understanding at long last with his father. Forced to confront his own misery, Paul eventually finds new life through a reflective evaluation of his own life, by re-evaluating middle age, the meaning of family and companionship, human or canine. He realizes his life is a wreck and does everything he can to right that and in doing so, actually winds up better than he was and more than he could have hoped for. Stella is his constant and the one who talks him through all of this. I believe the title, that literally is taken from what Stella says to Paul when he returns home each day because she thinks he was dead somewhere and his return each day, confirms her worst fear was unfounded. The final part that Stella plays in the story is an important and poignant one that dog lovers and non-dog lovers will all appreciate.

GIVEAWAY

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