Review: You Don't Love This Man by Dan DeWeese

Title: You Don't Love This Man
Author: Dan DeWeese
Genre: Contemporary fiction, adult
Publication: 2011
Source: For review

Summary: Today is an eventful day for Paul. It's the day that his daughter Miranda is marrying Grant, his friend, who is twice her age, plus the bank he manages just got robbed by the same guy who robbed them over 20 years ago. Things are strange though; Miranda's gone missing, and for unknown reasons, Paul's not letting on to the police that he recognizes the robber. Paul is reflecting back on today's events and all that has led up to it over the years, including his own marriage gone wrong, his old friendship with Grant, and the previous bank robbery.

My Thoughts: This is a quiet and thoughtful novel, moving along at a slow pace, but telling relevant stories along the way of Paul's past and present. The current story takes place over just the one day, but interwoven are an abundance of flashbacks of Paul's life at a young age, up to the present. The novel is incredibly character driven rather than plot based and is all shown and seen from Paul's own mind. We are literally in his head and viewing the events from his eyes rather than our own as he attempts to come to terms with his daughter's marriage, his ex-wife, and his old best friend, Grant. I really enjoyed the flashbacks and seeing Paul's life, as well as Miranda's, progress from his viewpoints of the past. Paul is a bit of a neutral character: not one that you'll love for any particular reason, but neither will you dislike him. We merely watch him reflect and feel some empathy for him. I liked the subtleties of this novel, but often wished it was just a tad faster paced. Though it was not hugely engrossing, it was a beautifully written novel and I will certainly read future works from Dan DeWeese.

My Rating: 3.5/5