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After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh three years ago, Adam Dove found it hard to get people outside of his friends and family to read his work.
“It’s a lot of [people] saying, ‘Yeah, it’s great,’ but of course you say it’s great. You like me,” he says.
Dove hoped to build readership and engagement, creating more meaningful connections between readers and his work. He wanted his work to fit into readers’ busy lives, rather than making readers restructure their days around it. Readers, he says, often hear someone recommend a book, but never pick it up because it’s too much of a time commitment. He needed to find a quick, effective medium. He thought about what he himself spends the most time doing — staring at a computer screen, sending out emails — and The Truth was born.
The novel follows four characters as they wrestle with faith and identity in the Appalachian Mountains. A new chapter of the serialized, Haruki Murakami-style novel is sent to readers’ email inboxes every Sunday and Wednesday. The first email was sent out Sept. 10, and the last will be sent six months from now.
Readers signed up to receive the novel this past summer. From there, subscribers were added to a private Facebook group to discuss the chapters. There, people comment on posts about what they read, and predict what’s going to happen next. Dove says that 70 people have signed up to receive the novel, and 56 of them are in the Facebook group.
If someone leaves a particularly interesting idea, a sort of collaboration with the novelist himself might ensue. “There’s a power to community that can make someone a better writer than they’ve ever been,” says Dove, who lives in Millvale.
Although sign-ups to receive the novel have ended, Dove plans to create another reading group in January, so that everyone can experience the novel at the same time, at the same pace, spoiler-free.
“The book is called The Truth, but I call it ‘The Truth Experience,’ because it’s not just a book. It’s not just something you read,” he says.
This article appears in Oct 25-31, 2017.
Adams work is second to none in originality, language, and thought-provoking plot! The Truth Experience is something I genuinely look forward to reading at each installation: it stimulates thought and enraptures your mind – only for a few minutes! Then you are teased until the next chapter…
The series is actually SO entertaining. It’s the perfect read for those little moments in my life when I’m waiting. Whether I’m picking up food, waiting for a ride, walking in to work, it’s 5 minutes of a very exciting plot that perfectly fits in to my lifestyle.
Check it out for the next round. Seriously. Just do it.
Like many folks, I live a busy life with plans to read many books once I retire! The format of Adam’s stories is perfect for someone like me who can read the next chapter before I go to bed, when I wake up in the morning, or when I have a down moment during my busy days (waiting in line at the DMV!). But beyond the size of the short chapters which make quick and easy reading, the characters and their journeys are intriguing and absorbing and I eagerly look forward to each new chapter showing up in my inbox. This is just the beginning for a truly amazing writer!!!
It’s so good and so addicting! Adam captures the Pittsburgh/Appalachian region vibes in a really interesting way.