"[I Thought You Were Dead] has a low-key, indie-movie vibe, with Stella sounding like Juno's older, world-weary aunt." --The Washington Post
— The Washington Post
"Chosen by independent booksellers as a recent No. 1 Book Sense Pick, I Thought You Were Dead, a novel about the bonds between dogs and humans, is heartfelt and nostalgic in tone . . . Stella's wisdom sets the luckless Paul on a brighter life path. It's her nobility . . . that gives the story its power." --USA Today
— USA Today
"'I thought you were dead,' Stella says to Paul when he returns home from a bar, on page one of Pete Nelson's new novel. Delivered by an aging, arthritic Labrador/Shepherd mix, the line displays the dry wit and dog logic that makes Stella and, by extension, much of this novel a delight. Yes, Stella talks. And the conversations are so charming and matter-of-fact that it hardly seems worth asking from whence this special power comes." --Bark Magazine
— Bark Magazine
"Airy and almost miraculous . . . It's very wise about the way devotion--between animals and people, between people and people--can keep us going." --Palm Beach Post
— Palm Beach Post
"Stella the dog is always charming. And there's a dignity and gravity to Paul's affection for her . . . Their friendship [is] one of the best ever put down on paper." --St. Louis Post Dispatch
— St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Ultimately, I Thought You Were Dead is about the catastrophes that make a person realize his life is a mess, then do everything he can to put his life back together--perhaps, in the process, creating something better than he dared to hope for." --BookPage
— BookPage
“A recent No. 1 Indie Next Pick, [this] novel about the bonds between dogs and humans is heartfelt and nostalgic . . . Stella’s wisdom sets the luckless Paul on a brighter life path. It’s her nobility . . . that gives the story its power.” —USA Today
“A delight . . . Yes, Stella talks. And the conversations are so charming and matter-of-fact that it hardly seems worth asking from whence this special power comes.” —Bark magazine
“A truly outstanding talking-dog story . . . With exquisite tone control, [Nelson] has given us a story that’s sweet and loving but never sentimental . . . Graceful, gratifying.” —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Stella the dog is always charming. And there’s a dignity and gravity to Paul’s affection for her . . . Their friendship [is] one of the best ever put down on paper.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Airy and almost miraculous . . . It’s very wise about the way devotion—between animals and people, between people and people—can keep us going.” —Chattanooga Times Free Press
