Pretend I’m Dead is the first novel published by writer Jen Beagin.[1] It was followed by a sequel novel titled Vacuum in the Dark.

Pretend I'm Dead
Cover of 2018 hardcover.
AuthorJen Beagin
Audio read byCandace Thaxton
Cover artistAlex Merto
LanguageEnglish
GenreDark Humor
Published2018
PublisherNorthwestern University Press, Simon & Schuster
Publication date
2015
Pages240 (2nd ed)
ISBN978-1501183935
Followed byVacuum in the Dark 

Pretend I’m Dead was shortlisted for The Center for Fiction’s 2018 First Novel Prize.[2]

In Kirkus Reviews, the novel received a starred review and was listed on Kirkus' Best Debut Fiction of 2018.[3]

"What gives this novel its heart is Beagin’s capacity for seeing: As Mona cleans peoples’ homes, we learn that the wealthy, well-dressed, superior individuals who pay her to scrub their toilets are just as messed up as the addicts and prostitutes and gamblers she encounters outside of work. This is not a new theme, of course, but Beagin makes it fresh with her sly, funny, compassionate voice. This is a terrific debut. Singularly enjoyable." Kirkus Review[4]

The title was originally published as a paperback by NU Press, and has since been published in the UK with new book cover art.[5][6]

2015 cover, NU Press
UK Cover, Oneworld Publications

Emily Books gave an early positive review of the first edition of Pretend I’m Dead, published in 2015 as a paperback by Northwestern University Press.[7] With a new cover designed by Alex Merto, the novel was reissued as a hardcover in 2018 by Simon & Schuster.[8]

See also

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Excerpts

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  • "Yoko and Yoko" excerpt from Pretend I'm Dead (2016)[9]
  • Excerpt from "Hole" in Pretend I'm Dead (2015)[10]

References

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  1. ^ Beagin, Jen (2018). Pretend I'm Dead. Google books: Simon and Schuster. p. 240. ISBN 9781501194429.
  2. ^ "2018 Short List for Fiction First Novel Prize". centerforfiction.org. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  3. ^ "Best Debut Fiction of 2018 (pg. 3)". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  4. ^ PRETEND I'M DEAD by Jen Beagin | Kirkus Reviews.
  5. ^ "NU Press webpage for Pretend I'm Dead".
  6. ^ "UK publisher website Pretend I'm Dead".
  7. ^ Beagin, Jen (2018). Pretend I'm Dead. Google books: Simon and Schuster. p. 240. ISBN 9781501194429.
  8. ^ Beagin, Jen (2018). Pretend I'm Dead. Google books: Simon and Schuster. p. 240. ISBN 9781501194429.
  9. ^ "Yoko & Yoko". louisville.edu. University of Louisville Miracle Monocle, Issue #8. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  10. ^ Honorees, Whiting (2017-03-22). "Jen Beagin, Fiction". The Paris Review. Retrieved 2019-03-30.