A troubled girl and a widower strike up a friendship in Berg’s heart felt novel, The Story of Aruthur Truluv. Unwed and pregnant, Maddie spends a lot of her time in cemeteries where widower Arthur Truluv has lunch everyday.
Truluv has an uncanny of peering into the lives of the departed. Mostly, however, he goes to spend time with his late wife’s grave. The two of them had an unshakeable bond–one that Maddie comes to recognize as true love. Thus, she renames him “Truluv.”
In her own life, Maddie hasn’t been so lucky. Her father and her do not speak much and her mother died while she was young. Maddie’s boyfriend breaks up with her and takes no responsibility for their child.
Just when things seem hopeless, Maddie and Truluv comes up with a remarkable solution. This novel makes a solid case for the power of inter-generational friendships and communities.
In a terrific scene that shows Truluv’s devotion, Truluv defends Maddie against Anderson who comes around to pester her. Truluv nearly collapses from exhaustion but, for him, she is worth it.
Life is indeed, as Arthur points out, rather like a square dance. Many of these characters make a re-appearance in Berg’s later Mason novels, Night of Miracles, and The Confession Club.
writeonomics 