by Dan DeWeese
Harper Perennial, Copyright 2011
336 pages, ISBN 9780061992322
Rob's Rating: 5/5
Quote from book: "The illusion of a wedding's uniqueness is probably as false as the illusion of a marriage's permanence..."
From the book jacket: "A Novel About Fatherhood, Marriage and Bank Robbery."
It takes a great writer to turn every day life into a fine novel. DeWeese artfully captured the dance we do around relationships in his book, You Don't Love This Man. Interwoven into his writing are beautifully written observations of his characters and their innermost feelings.
I wasn't hooked at first. But sometimes when I stick with a book, I find that a strong connection is formed. For this to happen I need to identify positively with the characters. I also liked that I did not always understand what was happening. It kept me reading to see each character revealed like a piece of clay formed into a work of art.
You Don't Love This Man reminded me of something I read several years ago, The Weekend by Peter Cameron. The similarity between the two is how each novel focused on a point in time and an event that brought its characters together.
The protagonist in You Don't Love This Man is a middle aged guy named Paul. Written from a man's perspective, Paul feels like every man. A unique soul who often goes unnoticed. He's trying to understand the people around him and how he fits into each life. In the end he starts to understand himself better while questioning the choices he's made.
The characters are finely woven together in a complex connection of relationships on the wedding day of Paul's daugher. DeWeese develops each person with grace. I couldn't put the book down after the first chapter. It's a winner. If you've been around the block a few times with some bumps and bruises, consider adding You Don't Love This Man to your collection.
It definitely takes talent to make a "day-in-the-life" story into a compelling look at relationships - I'm so glad to know that this is that kind of book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour!
It sounds like You Did Love This Book. Excellent, thoughtful review. I will look for this one.
ReplyDeleteI like a book with good characters.
ReplyDeleteNice review.
Mike
PS Please stop over at my blog and say hi. I'm having a giveaway of "The Lucky One" by Sparks. My giveaway is a first edition and with the book about to be filmed, the book could be collectible.