Peter Nelson

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Named #1
Indie Bound Pick

On the Indie Next
Hardcover Fiction
Bestseller List

WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD:"

“Chosen by independent booksellers as a recent No. 1 Book Sense Pick, I Thought You Were Dead, a novel about the bonds between dogs and humans, is heartfelt and nostalgic in tone. Paul Gustavson, at first glance, is a loser. His wife left him, he's a hack writer of "For Morons" books, he drinks too much and he's overweight. The only good thing in his life is his dog, Stella. Dogs often make us feel better just by their presence, but did I mention that Stella and Paul can talk to each other? Stella's wisdom sets the luckless Paul on a brighter life path. It's her nobility, not Paul's… that gives the story its power.”
–Carol Memmott, USA Today

“I Thought You Were Dead has a low-key, indie-movie vibe, with Stella sounding like Juno's older, world-weary aunt.”
–Yvonne Zipp, Washington Post

“A heart-warming, feel-good book, I Thought You Were Dead will have you examining your own life and your relationship with the family pet.”
–Lanine Bradley, Sacremento Book Review

“Although the love story of the title refers to a long-distance romance with a would-be singer named Tamsen, the affaire de coeur that captured and held my imagination was between man and dog. Paul and Stella are like an old married couple, in the best ways, sharing an abundance of tenderness and humor forged during 15 years together. In one of my favorite moments, Paul snuggles with a frightened Stella during a thunderstorm. In their cave under a blanket-topped kitchen table, he comforts her with a story of how humans and wolves first threw in together. If that’s not love, what is?”
–Lisa Wogan, Bark Magazine

“Nelson describes the friendship between man and dog with a lot of heart and understanding. The dialogue between the two isn't anthropomorphic; it's just that sometimes your dog has the best advice when your girlfriend's spending the night at her other lover's house.”
–Jacques Von Lunen, The Oregonian

“This oddball relationship is what makes Paul seem redeemable; this affection will cause readers to root for him. Though the book is often murky, sad and mired in "a dark, private, pissy place" where Paul is "free to loathe himself"—secure in the knowledge that no human loves or cares about him—the resolution of the story is happier than that. It's so neat, in fact, that one can almost see the novel as a big-screen romantic comedy, with Steve Carell as Paul and maybe Sandra Bullock as the woman who sees past his gruff exterior, limited prospects and romantic issues—who finds something that’s worth paying attention. Ultimately, I Thought You Were Dead is about the catastrophes that make a person realize his life is a mess, then do everything he can to put his life back together—perhaps, in the process, creating something better than he dared to hope for.”
–Sarah E. White, Book Page


“Pete Nelson’s novel makes something airy and almost miraculous. This sweet, loving novel will probably calm you. I Thought You Were Dead may end a little too neatly, but along the way it’s very wise about the way devotion – between animals and people, between people and people – can keep us going.”
–Scott Eyman, The Palm Beach Post

“Stella the dog is always charming. And there’s a dignity and gravity to Paul’s affection for her that he otherwise lacks. Their relationship is one of the best ever put down on paper.”
–Holly Silva, St. Louis Post Dispatch

“In fact, I Thought You Were Dead is an anti-detachment story. It comes down in favor of romantic risks and unconditional love. It's sweet that way. Nelson is a graceful writer. As we say here, this isn't a bad little book.”
–Pamela Miller, Minneapolis Star Tribune

In the guise of a novel, Pete Nelson has spun a beautiful ballad out of the humblest elements: an old dog, a drinking problem, a Minnesota family and a woman torn between two lovers. Not at all coincidentally, he's also written a truly outstanding talking-dog story. In his work in progress, "Nature for Morons," Paul writes, "The only example of love between species is that between dog and man, a mutually beneficial relationship proven to extend the life spans of both species." The book Nelson has written animat
es that love in a graceful, gratifying way.
–Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Having known characters very much like Paul, Stella and Karen, I read this book with base motives, to see Pete Nelson's story of what happened to people or dogs like those I had known. Before. During. After. Then the book kept me awake. And awake. Until it was done. I look forward to his next. This is the type of unflinching deepening of daily life - its humor, tragedy and reveling in the overlooked wonder of the mundane - that is achingly true. What voices! What a narrative! I Thought You Were Dead has bravery in every page, including showing what bravery is by showing cowardice. Humor through tragedy. Love through pain. All that stuff. Divorce, impotence, alcoholism, catastrophic illness, death, failure, dogs, morons, success, love and friendship. It's like music. It hits you beyond words.”
–Gene Cassidy, Amazon

“Pete Nelson has crafted a sweet, charming story about a man, his dog and the people in his life. A walk with Gustavson and Stella is a journey not soon forgotten.”
–Angie Blackburn, Charleston Post and Courier

“Nelson’s got a unique spin on situations that might otherwise bore an audience. How his life unravels and shifts is an amazing transformation Nelson expertly portrays with a story that gives his readers the distinct feel as witnesses.”
–Marblehead Reporter

“Nelson delivers readable prose and a flawed likable character who is easy to root for. The author does a good job portraying the complexities of adult relationships without artifice.”
–Cedar Rapids Gazette

“Paul is a sad, lonely, thirty-something year old guy whose girlfriend has another boyfriend, whose ex-wife is remarried and pregnant, whose father has just suffered a stroke and who may or may not have a drinking problem. Although this sounds like the stage-setting for a depressing novel, it isn’t. For you see, Paul has a secret: he waxes philosophical to his aging mutt, Stella…and she talks back! Shifting between sagely advice and exactly the sorts of funny quips you’d expect your own dog to burst out with could they talk, Stella is like a cross between Paul’s Jimminy Cricket and his therapist. She helps gently nudge him in the right direction, allowing him to slowly (and therefore realistically) set about minute changes in his life that ultimately make him a better, kinder human being. A truly touching and heartfelt novel.”
–Hillary Lay, Spirit of 76 Bookstore, Marblehead, MA

“Dante may have had his Beatrice, but Paul Gustavson has Stella, a venerable pooch who is his guiding light for matters of the mind and heart as well as for more mundane ones. Their ongoing dialogue is smart, sweet, and poignant, and together they take on their fears of thunderstorms and seedy bars (hers) and normal, loving relationships without the buffer of alcohol (his), each bringing out the best in each other. This book is clever, heartwarming, and thoroughly engaging.”
–Emily Crowe, Odyssey Bookshop, S. Hadley, MA


“Talking dog? I had my doubts. But in the same way that you want a customer to take a risk—say when you are trying to sell them a book about sheep farmers in Iceland—I figured I owed it to the book to give it a try. In short, the relationship between Paul and his dog Stella is the best relationship between any characters, human, canine, feline, ovine—anything or anyone in fiction, and probably in life. I'd welcome Paul and Stella on my doorstep any day, and in the meantime I'll be so happy I met them while I was reading I Thought You Were Dead.”
–Linda Ramsdell, The Galaxy Bookshop, Hardwick, VT

“I laughed, I cried, I heard the voices of my dogs past and present in Stella's wise/​foolish "dogish" conversations with her owner. I felt the pain and frustration of the main character as he tried to navigate the minefield of life. This was a truthful and engaging read.”
–Karen Frank, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Ctr, VT

“I am not a huge fan of talking canines, and we have had quite a few of them on the best-seller lists of late. But I Thought You Were Dead is for anyone who loves a love story, who is okay with crying in public, who appreciates quality writing, gentle humor, and a book that makes you realize life is a struggle well worth having. Full of believable characters making familiar mistakes, I Thought You Were Dead manages to charm and surprise, right up to the end. I loved it.”
–Leslie Reiner, Inkwood Books, Tampa, FL

“Lovely old Stella, who thinks every human is dead when out of sight, is the canine star of Pete Nelson's tale of regret, loss and love. Paul Gustavson is still reeling from divorce, tip-toeing around a relationship and feeling like an outsider in his own family. I Thought You Were Dead is quirky, memorable and I loved Stella's philosophical questions, and answers. It’s so very true to life.”
–Becky Milner, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA

photo by Doug Matthewson

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