The Story of Arthur Truluv

Elizabeth Berg, born December 2, 1948, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is an American novelist who has authored over 30 books and is known for her compassionate, conversational, and insightful storytelling. Growing up, her father was in the Army; because of this, she traveled often and lived in many places. Due to this nomadic lifestyle, Berg has trouble citing a single place as her origin or hometown. At nine years old, Berg first dealt with the rejection of her work after a failed attempt at publication in American Girl magazine. She didn’t submit any other writing until adulthood when she found success with her craft.  

Many of Berg’s works have become bestsellers, she has won numerous writing awards, and three of her novels have been turned into movies for television. She frequently teaches the craft of writing and discusses her own writing process through interviews and articles. As her website biography details, Berg is a native of Minnesota and was a registered nurse for 10 years before becoming a writer. This is an experience she credits with teaching her “a lot about human nature, about hope and fear and love and loss and regret and triumph and especially about relationship” (“About Elizabeth.” Elizabeth Berg), topics which are often the focus of her writing. She became a writer after winning a writing contest and then began freelance work in magazines before moving on to novels. Her 2000 novel Open House was an Oprah’s Book Club Selection, causing sales of the novel to skyrocket and solidifying Berg’s popularity as a novelist.

In a 2010 interview with Writer’s Digest, Berg explains that she “had an editor at a magazine who said, ‘Oh, you have the common touch.’ She meant it as a compliment—she meant that many people would be able to relate to the things I was saying” (Strawser, Jessica. “Oprah Book Club Author Elizabeth Berg Says Write First, Sell Second.” Writer’s Digest, 2010). Berg’s clear, conversational tone lends itself to texts that revolve around human relationships and communication. The topics are often universal human experiences of loss, love, and making meaning out of how life turns out, even when it looks different than unexpected. This is evident in The Story of Arthur Truluv, which sees all three characters navigating new territory and finding purpose, companionship, and hope when things don’t go as planned. Berg wrote a sequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv called Night of Miracles, which was published in 2018; the 2018 Ballantine Books Trade Paperback Edition of The Story of Arthur Truluv, to which this guide refers, includes an excerpt from Night of Miracles.