If You Could See Me Now (Peter Straub novel)
Encyclopedia
If You Could See Me Now is the third published novel by American author Peter Straub
and his second work of gothic
or supernatural fiction
. The book was published by Jonathan Cape
in June 1977 – the same London publisher who published Julia
in 1976. Coward, McCann & Geoghegan published an American edition also in June 1977.
The main action of the book follows Miles as he returns to Arden ostensibly in search of peace and quiet in which he can complete his dissertation. Very quickly the work on the dissertation falls away as Miles becomes obsessed with memories of his cousin and the circumstances of her death. Several young girls have been murdered in the area and the suspicions of the small town fall on Miles, who soon comes to believe that Alison's vengeful spirit may be responsible for the deaths.
The protagonist, Miles Teagarden, also has a cameo in Straub's novel Shadowland.
, who provided a lengthy blurb for the dust jacket of the book's first American edition. As Straub recounts in the essay "Meeting Stevie" in Fear Itself: The Horror Fiction of Stephen King (1982), he was deeply impressed by King's sympathetic reading of his work long before the two had met. It was this blurb that prompted Straub to pick up a copy of King's 'Salem's Lot and ultimately resulted in their meeting in London. They eventually went on to collaborate on the novels The Talisman and Black House
.
Peter Straub
Peter Francis Straub is an American author and poet, most famous for his work in the horror genre. His horror fiction has received numerous literary honors such as the Bram Stoker Award, World Fantasy Award, and International Horror Guild Award, placing him among the most-honored horror authors in...
and his second work of gothic
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
or supernatural fiction
Supernatural fiction
Supernatural fiction is a literary genre exploiting or requiring as plot devices or themes some contradictions of the commonplace natural world and materialist assumptions about it....
. The book was published by Jonathan Cape
Jonathan Cape
Jonathan Cape was a London-based publisher founded in 1919 as "Page & Co" by Herbert Jonathan Cape , formerly a manager at Duckworth who had worked his way up from a position of bookshop errand boy. Cape brought with him the rights to cheap editions of the popular author Elinor Glyn and sales of...
in June 1977 – the same London publisher who published Julia
Julia (novel)
Julia is a 1975 novel by Peter Straub. It was the author's third novel, but the second to be published . Julia is notable among Straub's bibliography because it is his first novel to deal with the supernatural. It was published by Coward, McCann & Geoghehgan...
in 1976. Coward, McCann & Geoghegan published an American edition also in June 1977.
Synopsis
The novel tells the story of Miles Teagarden, a widowed English professor struggling to complete his dissertation in the summer of 1975. Twenty years earlier – on the night of June 21, 1955 – Miles made a vow with his beautiful cousin Alison Greening that they would meet again at the family farm in Arden, Wisconsin in twenty years. Shortly after swearing this vow, Alison drowned under mysterious circumstances while she and Miles were swimming in the quarry not far from the family farm.The main action of the book follows Miles as he returns to Arden ostensibly in search of peace and quiet in which he can complete his dissertation. Very quickly the work on the dissertation falls away as Miles becomes obsessed with memories of his cousin and the circumstances of her death. Several young girls have been murdered in the area and the suspicions of the small town fall on Miles, who soon comes to believe that Alison's vengeful spirit may be responsible for the deaths.
Themes and connections to other works
The novel introduces themes that appear throughout Straub's later novels: the alienated intellectual returning home; digging through layers of memory and history to make sense of violent events in childhood; serial killers; a fictionalized rural Wisconsin setting; and the overwhelming power and attraction of sex and violence.The protagonist, Miles Teagarden, also has a cameo in Straub's novel Shadowland.
Collaboration with Stephen King
In addition to building Straub's reputation as a writer of quality supernatural fiction, If You Could See Me Now caught the attention of author Stephen KingStephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, who provided a lengthy blurb for the dust jacket of the book's first American edition. As Straub recounts in the essay "Meeting Stevie" in Fear Itself: The Horror Fiction of Stephen King (1982), he was deeply impressed by King's sympathetic reading of his work long before the two had met. It was this blurb that prompted Straub to pick up a copy of King's 'Salem's Lot and ultimately resulted in their meeting in London. They eventually went on to collaborate on the novels The Talisman and Black House
Black House
Black House is a Stoker Award winning novel by horror writers Stephen King and Peter Straub. Published in 2001, this is the sequel to The Talisman....
.