The Story of Arthur Trulov by Elizabeth Berg

  Maybe The Beatles had it right after all.....”All we need is love!”  It certainly appears Elizabeth Berg believes this to be a universal truth as it is a central theme in her novel, The Story of Arthur Trulov.  Berg quietly but beautifully details “love” in different forms allowing the reader to come to their own revelations or understandings.  The story centers around Arthur an elderly widower and Maddy a lonely, love starved teen.  The two meet in an unlikely way when they strike up a conversation in the cemetery where Arthur visits his deceased wife’s grave every day and Maddy hides out when she cannot face school or the taunts of her classmates.  Both characters are searching for a way to deal with the loneliness with which they live.  Their friendship is unconventional, but it is lovely to watch develop.  We appreciate that they come into the relationship with an open mind and accept and enjoy each other as they are.  Juxtaposed to this unique relationship are the other characters in the novel who demonstrate the more negative attitudes of “love.”  Maddy’s father we learn has been remote and unreachable her whole life and it seems this is due to the debilitating loss he has lived with since her mother was killed in an accident when Maddy was just a baby.  It is clear he truly loved his wife, but the loss of that love broke him and as a result nearly broke Maddy.  Arthur’s neighbor, Louise, demonstrates another extreme of lost first love and the consequences of the loss that have shaped her entire life. Fortunately, the author gives us a beautiful picture of “true love” with Arthur and Nola and it this picture that makes all the difference to Maddy.  This is a lovely story and one that warms you from the inside out.  These are characters you want to know and would love to spend more time with just to feel the warmth and joy that their love brings.  If you enjoyed A Man Called Ove, then you will love The Story of Arthur Trulov.  If you cling to the hope that love is all you really need, then this book is made for you.