Synopses & Reviews
"Todd Robert Petersen is crazy-talented, and the wild, weird, hilarious stories of It Needs to Look Like We Tried are just what’s called for in these bizarre, frightening times." — Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls and Trajectory
Everyone has a dream, an idea, a goal. But what happens when those desires are thwarted, when dreams and goals fall apart? In It Needs to Look Like We Tried, Todd Robert Petersen explores the ways in which our failures work on the lives of others, weaving an intricate web of interconnected stories.
A fastidious man takes a detour on the way to his father’s wedding and kicks off a series of events that ricochets from the bride to her real estate clients; to a crazed former homeowner and his sister-in-law’s reality TV lover; to a hoarding family whose lives are wrecked by their appearance on the second-rate show. Their daughter decides to escape the gravity of her tiny town with the help of her boyfriend who has a not-quite-legal plan to scrape together enough money to fund their departure.
On their way across the country, these star-crossed lovers encounter our fastidious man, and the Rube-Goldberg machine of life continues. Their fling has petered out, and they are driving home, whatever home is left after walking away from everything they abandoned a month before.
Review
"In It Needs to Look Like We Tried, Todd Robert Petersen uses the tools of the novel (big picture, complex vision) and the short story (close observation, light touch) to present us with a wide-ranging world of intermingled lives. It’s something of a road trip, too — one you’ll be glad you took." Jon Clinch, author of Finn and Kings Of The Earth
Review
"Petersen’s stories sing with wise-cracking (a drug dealer on his business arrangements: "It’s an LLC, man. Corporations are people"), irresistible characters who make the best of a world filled with corruption and deception." Publishers Weekly
Review
"A disjointed Pulp Fiction-style narrative, hopscotching west of the Mississippi with a motley set of characters...The penultimate story, 'Providence,' is a gem...An engaging set of stories of broken lives, jagged in structure but smooth in the telling." Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
TODD ROBERT PETERSEN lives in Cedar City, Utah with his wife and three children. He is a Professor of English and the director of Southern Utah University’s project-based learning program. Petersen is the author of two books published locally: Long After Dark (2007) and Rift (2009). His recent academic work focuses on film and television.