elizabeth berg the story of arthur truluv

However, when the night of the dinner finally arrives, Frank is admitted to the hospital where he passes away suddenly, leaving Lucille devastated. Arthur and Lucille make plans for another dinner in the near future when Lucille will introduce him to Frank. Lucille tells Arthur that she forgives him, and then launches into the story of her and Frank, telling Arthur how they plan to get married. Arthur still manages to convince Lucille to have dinner with him once again, taking the opportunity to apologize profusely. Meanwhile, Lucille has started seeing Frank Pearson, an old boyfriend of hers whom she never quite got over, essentially eliminating Arthur’s chances for any kind of romance. They continue to see each other during visits to the cemetery. During this lunch, the unlikely pair realizes that they have a fair bit in common, and friendship blossoms between them. They get into a discussion about the issues affecting their respective love lives, including Maddy’s relationship with Anderson and Arthur’s relationship with Lucille. They begin to talk, and Arthur ends up inviting Maddy to his home for lunch. Arthur and Maddy run into each other at the graveyard shortly after she has gone through her breakup with Anderson. Although Arthur tries to explain the situation to Lucille, she starts to grow cold towards him, realizing that her own affections will never be returned.

He departs shortly after his arrival, which gives Lucille the impression that Arthur is not interested in her. One day, Arthur goes to visit Lucille but ends up feeling ill because of a bad lunch. Although Arthur enjoys spending time with Lucille, he is also quite dismissive of her and does not seem to view her as a potential romantic partner. Although Anderson is clearly not a good person, Maddy is still devastated when he suddenly breaks up with her.Īrthur seeks to soothe his own heart and find companionship with his neighbor Lucille Howard. She has become involved in a romantic relationship with Anderson, an older boy at her school who dismisses her feelings and generally acts abusively toward her.

Her mother passed away when she was very young and her relationship with her father has grown distant. Here he meets Maddy Harris, a teenage girl who seeks refuge in the cemetery, preferring to spend her time amongst the dead rather than her classmates, most of whom are abusive towards her. It has been six months since her passing, and during his visits to the cemetery, he invents stories in his mind about the people buried there and the lives they led. Arthur’s wife has recently passed away, and he now makes it a point to visit her grave every day for lunch. The novel tells the story of eighty-five-year-old Arthur Moses. The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg was published by Ballantine Books in 2018.

Elizabeth berg the story of arthur truluv