Synopsis from Goodreads: A novel about fatherhood, marriage . . . and bank robbery.
On the morning of his daughter Miranda’s wedding, Paul learns that the bank he manages has been robbed—apparently by the same man who robbed it twenty-five years before. As if that weren’t enough, Miranda, who is set to marry Paul’s former best friend—a man twice her age—seems to have gone missing.
Struggling to reconcile his little girl with the grown woman he’s about to walk down the aisle (if he can find her), to accept his onetime peer as his future son-in-law, and to comprehend the strange coincidence of being robbed by the same man two decades apart, Paul takes stock of everything leading up to this moment—as he attempts to navigate the day’s many surprises while questioning the motives and choices of those around him.
My thoughts: I selected this novel because of the very first line from the synopsis. ”A Novel about fatherhood, marriage… and a bank robbery.” I was intrigued by the fact that it was about fatherhood and marriage from the man’s perspective, the part about a bank robbery was just a bonus.
One of the things that was unique to me was that this story was about a man struggling to come to terms with the fact that his little girl has grown up and with the choices he’s made in his own life. Often you find that stories along this vein are all told from the female perspective. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to think of other novels I’ve read recently with a male protagonist that wasn’t a mystery or obviously targeted toward a male audience. I came up with two. One that I enjoyed, A Note from an Old Acquaintance by Bill Walker and one that was just okay, The Heights by Peter Hedges. This is not to say that there aren’t others out there, if you have suggestions I’d love to hear them.
When others around you are in transition it is only natural that you would reflect on the things that have happened in your own life. I think that this is where the title came from. Paul was trying to convince Miranda or even himself (in his mind) that she didn’t love Grant and didn’t really want to marry him. Much of this came from his own experiences that we learn about throughout the story.
The thing about this novel that I found to be a little bit of a stretch was that all of this happened in the course of one day. I think that is a bit of a stretch, but it really doesn’t detract from the overall story.
I was excited to learn Dan DeWeese grew up just miles from where I currently live. Sometimes it seems that no one has even heard of the town, let alone actually being from here. I wonder if he has been back and what he thinks of the changes, because I know it has changed quite a bit. It’s still a sleepy little town, but not as much as it was just a few years ago. You can find Dan DeWeese on the web at http://www.dandeweese.net/
Whether it be in front of a roaring fire for those of you buried under snow, or in a hammock in the back yard You Don’t Love This Man would be a lazy weekend well spent.
I received my copy of You Don’t Love this Man by Dan DeWeese from the publisher to participate in the Blog Tour hosted by TLC Book Tours.
Please stop by some of the other tour hosts to see what they thought:
Tuesday, March 1st: Colloquium
Thursday, March 3rd: Book Club Classics!
Tuesday, March 8th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Wednesday, March 9th: Booksie’s Blog
Thursday, March 10th: Boarding in My Forties
Monday, March 14th: Rundpinne
Tuesday, March 15th: Amy’s Creative Side
Thursday, March 17th: Literate Housewife
Monday, March 21st: StephTheBookworm
Tuesday, March 22nd: Stephany Writes
Wednesday, March 30th: Books Are Like Candy Corn
Thursday, March 31st: Lisa’s Yarns
© 2011, Teresa. All rights reserved.
I agree with you, that there is not alot written like this from the male perspective. One of the books you mentioned, The Heights, is on my TBR pile…I see that you thought it was just okay…I hope to get to it soon.
A repeat robber…interesting concept (especially with the time span between the crimes). Agree with you on the self reflection during times of transition, it’s just a natural response…sorta like fight or flight. Hard to believe the events took place over the course of a day though….it seems like a growing trend in novels, but it’s not always successfully done (in my opinion or course). Though not one for myself, I certainly enjoyed the review. Thanks for sharing your experience! ^_^
Great review, Teresa! When I think about it, I don’t read a lot of books with a male protaganist either! Hmm. It’s pretty cool he is from your neck of the woods too, the author that is.
-Michelle
Huh, this sounds really fun! And I think you’re right — there aren’t a lot of wedding/marriage books told from a man’s perspective.
Yeah, come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve EVER read a book like this where a man is the main character – sounds like I’d better remedy that!
Thanks for being on the tour.
I know what you mean about towns and people knowing of them. I was talking with a new hire at my company last week, with his very southern accent, and when he asked where I live I said ‘about an hour outside NYC’. He replied that he lived in a small town in NJ for a year and named the town I currently live in. Yes… I said town, not even a city. It’s crazy to think I live so close to the city yet so far away in lifestyle.
I like to see that you read a variety of books!
That first sentence would grab me in, too!