Pretend I'm Dead

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 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 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]

  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.