I Loved You More

2016 Longlist

At the heart of Tom Spanbauer’s novel is a love triange: two men, one woman. In New York Ben forms a bond with his friend, Hank who is straight. Ben is gay, but has had occasional relationships with women. Almost a decade later in Portland, Oregon, a now-ill Ben falls for Ruth, his writing student, and as Ben has found out with Hank, loving has its limits. Ben introduces Hank to Ruth, and the real trouble starts.

Set against a world of writers and artists; New York’s Lower East Side in the wild 1980s; the drab, confining Idaho of Ben’s youth; Portland in his middle age; and many places in between, the complex world revealed in I Loved You More – written in the poisoned, lyrical voice of Ben – is the author’s most complex and wise novel to date.

About the Author

Tom Spanbauer grew up on a farm twelve miles outside Pocatello, Idaho. He received his BA in English Literature from Idaho State University. Tom served two years in the Peace Corps in Kenya, East Africa. While waiting tables at Café Un Deux Trois and Odeon and being a super of five buildings on East Fifth Street he studied at Columbia University. In 1988 he received his MFA from Columbia in Fiction. Tom settled in Portland, Oregon, where he teaches Dangerous Writing in the basement of his house. His novels include The Man Who Fell in Love With The Moon, In The City of Shy Hunters, and Now Is The Hour.

Librarian’s Comments

Spanbauer presents an astonishing exploaration of male friendship in this poignant and painful story of unrequited love.