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Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a moving portrait of the profound effects of love when all that seems to remain is loss and grief. Unhinged by his wife’s unexpected death, Anthony, a middle-aged Seattle journalist, becomes obsessed with her past. He drives through the Nevada desert to locate her ex-husband looking for some unnamable solace. But, what awaits him is a bizarre and violent encounter with the past that entangles Anthony with his half-estranged stepchildren, the police, and his own disquieted mind and that only makes Lucy’s ghostly presence seem all the more real. The crisp dialogue, shadowy atmosphere, and sharp pacing of a master crime writer work to great effect in this arresting story that toys with the precipice of insanity and the extremes of passion and loss. This is a splendid shadow play on the enduring human mystery of love.
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 2001
9 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Michael Dibdin
128 books177 followersMichael Dibdin was born in 1947. He went to school in Northern Ireland, and later to Sussex University and the University of Alberta in Canada. He lived in Seattle. After completing his first novel, The Last Sherlock Holmes Story, in 1978, he spent four years in Italy teaching English at the University of Perugia. His second novel, A Rich Full Death, was published in 1986. It was followed by Ratking in 1988, which won the Gold Dagger Award for the Best Crime Novel of the year and introduced us to his Italian detective - Inspector Aurelio Zen.
Dibdin was married three times, most recently to the novelist K. K. Beck. His death in 2007 followed a short illness.
Series:
* Aurelio Zen
Dibdin was married three times, most recently to the novelist K. K. Beck. His death in 2007 followed a short illness.
Series:
* Aurelio Zen
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 27, 2020
Despite the mixed peer reviews here, this little gem may be Michael Dibdin's best novel. Dibdin's known for his crime fiction, in particular the detective Aurelio Zen series, so this is a bit of a departure for him, a psychological study of a man struggling to come to terms with the sudden death of his wife. There is a crime involved, as the protagonist may have played some role in the death of his wife's misogynistic ex-husband, for which the police suspect him of murder, but that is not the focus. All of Dibdin's best writing technique is on display here, particularly the crisp dialogue that is his hallmark as a crime writer. And it moves right along; you could easily read it in one sitting (though I took a couple of days to finish it). Truly an engrossing, haunting tale of love and loss and one's man struggle to carry on without the love of his his life. Most highly recommended!
November 26, 2017
Ενδιαφέρουσα και ευκολοδιάβαστη νουβέλα.
February 25, 2015
This is a departure for Dibdin, at least from his Aurelio Zen series. This is direct, shorter, and set in America. It is as much a straightforward, realistic novel as it is a crime/suspense book. This is a story of loss, troubled relationships, and the struggle of how to deal with a past that hangs over into the present. The narrative begins with Tony, an English born journalist, paying an ill-advised midnight visit to a trailer in the Nevada desert, the home of slithery, garrulous Daryl Bob, the ex-husband of his recently deceased wife Lucy. Her sexy spirit hangs over the proceedings, giving rise to memories and jealousies that threaten to destroy Tony's present existence. They have a strange, rambling conversation. The Englishman has a gun in his pocket. A couple of days later, Daryl Bob is found dead. It looks as though Tony, the narrator and main character, he might be charged with murder.
It is a good set-up for a noirish thriller, and at first, Dibdin takes it in that direction. But this writer loves to confound expectations and make unexpected moves. At this point, it becomes more a novel of memory of bygone passion, but there is still a good deal of uncertainty concerning the state of mind of Tony, and the reader realizes that he could be an unreliable narrator. This could probably be labeled a psychological thriller, since a good deal of the suspense stems from the revelation of character and backstory. There are moments of brilliant writing, as there usually are in a Dibdin book. "Thanksgiving" deepened my respect for Dibdin, and made me wonder if there are more like it in his oeuvre. He was clearly more than just a writer of entertaining detective stories set in a fanciful version of Italy. This one proves that he could write good psychological suspense and contemporary fiction as well.
It is a good set-up for a noirish thriller, and at first, Dibdin takes it in that direction. But this writer loves to confound expectations and make unexpected moves. At this point, it becomes more a novel of memory of bygone passion, but there is still a good deal of uncertainty concerning the state of mind of Tony, and the reader realizes that he could be an unreliable narrator. This could probably be labeled a psychological thriller, since a good deal of the suspense stems from the revelation of character and backstory. There are moments of brilliant writing, as there usually are in a Dibdin book. "Thanksgiving" deepened my respect for Dibdin, and made me wonder if there are more like it in his oeuvre. He was clearly more than just a writer of entertaining detective stories set in a fanciful version of Italy. This one proves that he could write good psychological suspense and contemporary fiction as well.
July 15, 2020
I wish there were more examples of this piece of fiction - a novella or long, short story!...which can be read in a couple of hours & leave you feeling fulfilled.Michael Dibdin wrote stylishly in his novels & I liked his Aurelio Zen crime-based studies of Italy to the point of trying to write my own Italy-centred novel!
Sadly, Michael passed away a few years ago now...but this psychological study of a widowed man trying to come to terms with his Lucy...& the Lucy of other peoples' perceptions of her attractions & personal foibles is quite haunting...as indeed, Anthony, the narrator, is haunted by his wife's abiding presence in his bereavement & grief.
Two hours reading...but better than wasting that time on another hackneyed television crime-drama...with all the boxes ticked! This 2000 gem ticked my main box: it was a great read! And I can read it again too...
Sadly, Michael passed away a few years ago now...but this psychological study of a widowed man trying to come to terms with his Lucy...& the Lucy of other peoples' perceptions of her attractions & personal foibles is quite haunting...as indeed, Anthony, the narrator, is haunted by his wife's abiding presence in his bereavement & grief.
Two hours reading...but better than wasting that time on another hackneyed television crime-drama...with all the boxes ticked! This 2000 gem ticked my main box: it was a great read! And I can read it again too...
February 28, 2016
In the midst of the discipline imposed on him by the requirements of the magnificent Aurelio Zen series of crime novels, each set in a different part of Italy, Dibden gives himself a break and the chance to play with new approaches and styles. What remains constant is his humour, here directed not at Italy but at Britain, France and the USA. It gives him a relatively light touch in dealing with a heavy topic - coming to terms with grief. If only he were still alive to write more.
July 22, 2018
Based on reviews, I expected much more from this book A man goes to his wife's first husband to learn more about her. She died suddenly and we do not know if either man is involved. Both men are unlikeable for many reasons. There is a daughter/stepdaughter and she has a child. This is supposed to be a mystery but there is little mystery involved. I gave it two stars because the writing is beautiful. The plot, the characters, the ending - painful.
August 22, 2020
This was a quick read, so I didn’t mind it too much. It started like it was in the middle of the story. So it’s always a good idea to read the summary of a book just to help you not to be completely lost at what‘s going on.
Anthony goes to visit Darryl Bob Allen out in the middle of nowhere. Allen was Lucy’s first husband. Lucy, married to Anthony, has passed away, apparently from an airplane crash. They talk about Lucy. Allen has a lot of tapes, films, and pictures of Lucy. Anthony has brought a gun with him but doesn’t shoot Allen. But he does sell the gun to him. But not before Allen takes a picture of him pointing the gun at him.
Anthony leaves, and once he’s back to wherever he lives the police question him because there was a fire in Allen’s trailer and Allen was killed by a gun shot, the gun that belonged to Anthony.
Anthony leaves since he’s sure he’ll be arrested due to the police finding the picture of him with the gun, saved in the fire. He goes to his parents’ second home in Paris to be alone and think about Lucy. Claire, Lucy’s daughter, and her son Daniel come to visit Anthony for Thanksgiving. She tells Anthony she told the police she talked to her father after he left so that will keep the police from charging him with murder. We’re led to believe that Claire goes away for the weekend with a new boyfriend, leaving Daniel with Anthony to take of. Does she ever come back? Or is this the wish Anthony gets to have a child? And not only any child, but Lucy’s grandchild.
Anthony goes to visit Darryl Bob Allen out in the middle of nowhere. Allen was Lucy’s first husband. Lucy, married to Anthony, has passed away, apparently from an airplane crash. They talk about Lucy. Allen has a lot of tapes, films, and pictures of Lucy. Anthony has brought a gun with him but doesn’t shoot Allen. But he does sell the gun to him. But not before Allen takes a picture of him pointing the gun at him.
Anthony leaves, and once he’s back to wherever he lives the police question him because there was a fire in Allen’s trailer and Allen was killed by a gun shot, the gun that belonged to Anthony.
Anthony leaves since he’s sure he’ll be arrested due to the police finding the picture of him with the gun, saved in the fire. He goes to his parents’ second home in Paris to be alone and think about Lucy. Claire, Lucy’s daughter, and her son Daniel come to visit Anthony for Thanksgiving. She tells Anthony she told the police she talked to her father after he left so that will keep the police from charging him with murder. We’re led to believe that Claire goes away for the weekend with a new boyfriend, leaving Daniel with Anthony to take of. Does she ever come back? Or is this the wish Anthony gets to have a child? And not only any child, but Lucy’s grandchild.
August 10, 2025
A terse, thoughtful story revolving around a middle-aged man trying to make sense of his wife's sudden death and the implications of an encounter with his wife's first spouse (and the father of his stepchildren). An unreliable narrator adds to the mystery, although I can't say in an entirely positive way. An ideal "read it in a day" type of book, almost a novella, really.
One small thing that bothered me, though, was that the British author set a story in the US with a British protagonist surrounded by Americans but got some of the US syntax wrong (it feels like any decent editor should have caught these small errors, but didn't)
One small thing that bothered me, though, was that the British author set a story in the US with a British protagonist surrounded by Americans but got some of the US syntax wrong (it feels like any decent editor should have caught these small errors, but didn't)
December 25, 2018
I read this because I have enjoyed the Aurelio Zen stories and know Dibdin to be a very good writer. From the start, the feeling of foreboding set in and kept me reading this psychological thriller. He tells a compelling story, but the sleaze put me off appreciating this particular book, so I
deducted one star. I think the sleaze-talk from these men is relevant to understanding them, but it's not what I want to read.
deducted one star. I think the sleaze-talk from these men is relevant to understanding them, but it's not what I want to read.
September 23, 2022
I would describe this first taste of Michael Dibdin's words as being from an author who writes lovely and thought provoking sentences but says very little with them.
None of the characters here are particularly likeable. The plot is so thin that it felt like there should have been something more before it. It never clicked with me as a reader.
It was beautifully written though which saves it from a 1* review.
None of the characters here are particularly likeable. The plot is so thin that it felt like there should have been something more before it. It never clicked with me as a reader.
It was beautifully written though which saves it from a 1* review.
February 10, 2020
A novel about a middle-aged English man who misses his wife after she dies. He visits her first husband who is the father of her two children who plays nasty psychological mind games with him. He then goes into free fall & escapes to France & awaits punishment. It's a lovely novel filled with pain, lonliness & love.
January 20, 2021
Well written egotistical crap. Not worth the time and insult. Denigrating and almost porngraphic. Harmful to women (and men in so far as it purports to set a reasonable or usual male viewpoint). As it is a short novel I finished it but don't recommend anyone else do so absent some mental health need to validate their own actions and show prove that the world doesn't appreciate them.
Read
November 8, 2025‘Middle aged parents are like recent converts,’ she’d said once. ‘Too much, too late.’
Thank you, I’m saying. Thank you for Lucy, thank you for Claire and for Daniel, thank you for this cold and this blood and this pain. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you, I’m saying. Thank you for Lucy, thank you for Claire and for Daniel, thank you for this cold and this blood and this pain. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
December 17, 2017
Just drew me in. The opening sequence with the previous husband was riveting.
July 7, 2019
Strange book. Fast read. Not one I would recommend but not bad enough to give it a 2.
November 23, 2021
Insightful story of the effects of loss of a loved one. Enjoyable read.
February 11, 2022
Not bad.
February 11, 2025
I read this only because it was a gift from a friend and it was short enough to finish quickly.
January 7, 2017
Estimated date read
January 16, 2017
I am so glad that I complained about trying to find a book that takes place in my native Nevada that does not revolve around the mob, drugs, hookers, strippers, gambling, prostitution or references to the wild, wild West - or that wasn't 80 gazillion pages. (I have way too many over 400 page books on my list and wasn't looking forward to adding another). Luckily, my beloved cousin Jenni intervened by finding, purchasing and sending me Thanksgiving by Michael Dibdin.
I started reading it this afternoon, not expecting to finish it, but just looking for something to read while waiting for the season (and rumored series) finale of Sherlock Holmes to come on PBS. To say I could not put it down is an understatement. After several attempts and trying to post my progress on Goodreads and move on to something else....like eating....I ultimately surrendered and finished it.
After the unexpected death of Lucy, a strange conversation between Tony, Lucy's widower, and Darryl Bob, her ex-husband, occurs in a run down trailer behind at a practically abandoned gas station in the middle of the desolate Nevada desert, as Tony tries to come to grips with the past of the woman he only knew in the second half of her life.
There are so many nuances to this book, and what I was expecting when I started was not at all how I finished. This book is by far one of the most moving stories I have ever read, about a man coming to grips with the death of his wife and the unexplained death of her ex-husband, of which Tony becomes a prime suspect for murder.
It is raw, beautiful, erotic and painful. The way that Tony attempts to confront Darryl Bob and gets more than he bargained for; how he moves through his grief and simultaneously responds to the accusations of murder; the people from whom he gathers information on Lucy - her life before him and the surprising way he finds out the details of her death; the way in which he finally defines his love for her and the children they never had together, and ultimately how the most unlikely of these relationships plays out, is beautifully and brutally described.
I highly recommend this book.
I started reading it this afternoon, not expecting to finish it, but just looking for something to read while waiting for the season (and rumored series) finale of Sherlock Holmes to come on PBS. To say I could not put it down is an understatement. After several attempts and trying to post my progress on Goodreads and move on to something else....like eating....I ultimately surrendered and finished it.
After the unexpected death of Lucy, a strange conversation between Tony, Lucy's widower, and Darryl Bob, her ex-husband, occurs in a run down trailer behind at a practically abandoned gas station in the middle of the desolate Nevada desert, as Tony tries to come to grips with the past of the woman he only knew in the second half of her life.
There are so many nuances to this book, and what I was expecting when I started was not at all how I finished. This book is by far one of the most moving stories I have ever read, about a man coming to grips with the death of his wife and the unexplained death of her ex-husband, of which Tony becomes a prime suspect for murder.
It is raw, beautiful, erotic and painful. The way that Tony attempts to confront Darryl Bob and gets more than he bargained for; how he moves through his grief and simultaneously responds to the accusations of murder; the people from whom he gathers information on Lucy - her life before him and the surprising way he finds out the details of her death; the way in which he finally defines his love for her and the children they never had together, and ultimately how the most unlikely of these relationships plays out, is beautifully and brutally described.
I highly recommend this book.
June 10, 2021
Anthony has lost his wife, Lucy. His grief turns to an obsession about knowing of her life before they met. He goes to Nevada to meet her first husband and that sets-off a chain of events that become more and more bizarre. The first husband is found dead and Anthony is a suspect. Lucy's daughter Claire provides an alibi, and Anthony then travels to France thinking the police won't come for him there. While there, Lucy's ghost haunts him and he recalls how they met. In the end, the daughter comes to share the Thanksgiving holiday with him and tells him he is no longer a suspect.
This was like a book on acid- very apparently written by a man from the prevalent and graphic sex scenes and violent interactions - all in 182 pages. I'm not sure I really got a sense of what the author's point was. I had high hopes once the police were involved that a real plot would develop, but no such luck. We also were never told how Lucy died! How that important detail could be left out is shocking. And, the final scene with the ghost of Lucy while Anthony is watching Claire's son Daniel is similarly without purpose.
This was like a book on acid- very apparently written by a man from the prevalent and graphic sex scenes and violent interactions - all in 182 pages. I'm not sure I really got a sense of what the author's point was. I had high hopes once the police were involved that a real plot would develop, but no such luck. We also were never told how Lucy died! How that important detail could be left out is shocking. And, the final scene with the ghost of Lucy while Anthony is watching Claire's son Daniel is similarly without purpose.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2014
I liked this one so much I literally couldn't put it down, and read the whole thing in one three hour binge. I think I was lucky not knowing this author's previous body of Crime genre work as I had no expectations of where this novel would take me.
Essentially this is a four act meditation on grief and how it distances people from being present in the current moment. It's cleverly wrapped in a mystery which keeps the attention, and their is also an interesting meta textual dialogue about voyeurism. The prose style is fast and seemingly simple, but I often found myself stopping and re-reading passages because the sentiments were quite deep.
A lovely work. Now I'll move on to some of his Crime thrillers and see if they are as good.
Essentially this is a four act meditation on grief and how it distances people from being present in the current moment. It's cleverly wrapped in a mystery which keeps the attention, and their is also an interesting meta textual dialogue about voyeurism. The prose style is fast and seemingly simple, but I often found myself stopping and re-reading passages because the sentiments were quite deep.
A lovely work. Now I'll move on to some of his Crime thrillers and see if they are as good.
January 15, 2016
Dibdin better known as a mystery writer, this is a more "serious" novel. About love and loss and giving. Reads quickly, with a lot of the action provided through dialogue. Feels a bit episodic to me, and I do have an issue with a Brit writer living in Seattle not giving us much of a feel for the SF Bay Area, where about half the book is situated.
Not a bad book, but just didn't grab me either. Again, if you're expecting a mystery from Dibden here, you may be disappointed. This is the first Dibdin book I have read, and good chance I will pick up something else by him when browsing. Interested me enough to lead to that.
Not a bad book, but just didn't grab me either. Again, if you're expecting a mystery from Dibden here, you may be disappointed. This is the first Dibdin book I have read, and good chance I will pick up something else by him when browsing. Interested me enough to lead to that.
August 15, 2011
I don't know. I feel slightly guilty about this one, like I had at the back of my mind all the time that he's just a crime writer and his crime's good, but what possessed him to try to move on?
That seems mean to me: how would I have felt about it if the author had been unknowned to me? Fact is, guys like Dibdin move into a rut and it is hard to be open-minded about their attempts to get out.
This is probably a perfectly acceptable book of its type. It was a snap to get through.
But still. I was left with this nagging 'I don't know' afterwards. What can I say?
That seems mean to me: how would I have felt about it if the author had been unknowned to me? Fact is, guys like Dibdin move into a rut and it is hard to be open-minded about their attempts to get out.
This is probably a perfectly acceptable book of its type. It was a snap to get through.
But still. I was left with this nagging 'I don't know' afterwards. What can I say?
August 14, 2013
I still haven't really made my mind up about this book. It's the story of Anthony, who becomes obsessed with finding out about his wife's life before he met her, after she dies. Visiting her first husband, who winds up dead, he ends up on the run, being chased by the ghost of Lucy. It's well written and some things did strike a chord, but it's one of those stories where nothing really happens. Read it with an open mind and you might just get something from it. If you're looking for lots of action, don't bother picking it up.
July 3, 2015
This is a lovely little book (took me 3.5hrs and I'm a slow reader).
Apparently the author is a crime writer - I don't know - my first of his. But although there is a crime in this (which may or may not have been committed by the lead character), the story is about looking back in order to move forward.
I really enjoyed this. Wonderful quirky but very realistic characters. Beautifully written.
I was absorbed to the point of being engrossed: I'll be checking out Mr Dibden.
Apparently the author is a crime writer - I don't know - my first of his. But although there is a crime in this (which may or may not have been committed by the lead character), the story is about looking back in order to move forward.
I really enjoyed this. Wonderful quirky but very realistic characters. Beautifully written.
I was absorbed to the point of being engrossed: I'll be checking out Mr Dibden.
March 28, 2008
It was completely different than I expected, cause I know from Dibdin only his series about Aurelio Zen. Although I knew it doesn't belong to the series, I thought it might be the same genre. But I liked the story nevertheless.
October 7, 2008
A love story of sorts. A speedy narrative that has enough forward motion and suspense to keep you with it. The idiosyncratic and minimalist style works well. Lovely crisp dialog.
February 14, 2009
Just about as good as mystery novels get.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews