The Love Hunter

by Jon Hassler

In this story of love, friendship, and possible murder, one man's decision whether to help his slowly dying friend to a swift and easy death is complicated by his love for the friend's wife

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Literary Fiction, Novels

311 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Jon Hassler was born in Minneapolis, but spent his formative years in the small Minnesota towns of Staples and Plainview, where he graduated from high school. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from St. John's University in 1955. While teaching English at three different Minnesota high schools, he received his Master of Arts degree in English from the University of North Dakota in 1960. He continued to teach at the high school level until 1965, when he began his collegiate teaching career: first at Bemidji State University, then Brainerd Community College (now called Central Lakes College), and finally at Saint John's, where he became the Writer-in-Residence in 1980.

During his high-school teaching years, Hassler married and fathered three children. His first marriage lasted 25 years. He had two more marriages; the last was to Gretchen Kresl Hassler.

In 1994, Hassler was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a disease similar to Parkinson's. It caused vision and speech problems, as well as difficulty walking, but he was able to continue writing. He was reported to have finished a novel just days before his death. Hassler died in 2008, at the age of 74, at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.[1]

The Jon Hassler Theater in Plainview, Minnesota, is named for him.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how well Jon Hassler is known outside of his home state of Minnesota, but he deserves to be known everywhere. I think there are a couple of Hassler novels I have not yet read and that makes me happy. It makes me sad to know that after those, however, there will be no more (Hassler died earlier this year).

"The Love Hunter" (great title) centers around the story of three people. Chris, the story's narrator, is a college counselor. Larry, a history teacher, is Chris's best (and only) friend. Rachel is the woman they both love. She is married to Larry, but as Larry's health deteriorates (he has MS), she finds herself drawn into a complicated relationship with Chris.

I am most intrigued by Rachel's character. She has red hair, she runs for stress relief, and she is an actress. She is beautiful, sensual, good, but also real. She loves and sacrifices for her husband, but in a real way. An imperfect way. It's refreshing to me to read a character who deals with life's difficulties in a flawed messy way. I like her. It would be fun to cast her in a movie version of this book. I know this woman. An interesting and interested individual, working to make the most of life in small-town Minnesota.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I normally enjoy reading Jon Hassler's tales about people in Minnesota, this particular one is not a favorite. It's a story about the love triangle between Chris and his best friends Rachel and Larry. As we learn of Larry's suffering through MS, which will eventually kill him, we get to know the male characters as they were as young and just starting out in life. We also learn of Rachel's infidelity with Chris and how smitten he is with her; smitten enough to want to end Larry's suffering early so that he can begin his life with Rachel. Chris takes Larry on one last goose hunting trip during which he plans to do away with him. This is one story of Hassler's in which I found no empathy for any of the characters. They are as dark as the gloomy surroundings at the hunting camp. I get what Hassler is trying to create, but rather than al story that motivated me to ponder life, death and love, I just wanted both of them to die and be put out of ther misery. Maybe that's what Hassler intended. Who knows but him?

[Ronnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Rookery Blues when it first came out in 1995, and even though that was somehow, gasp, 25 years ago, I still remember certain scenes from it, and I remember it made me laugh occasionally, and I remember loving it in general. I know the writing of this one predates that one by a dozen years or so, so my thought is maybe he just got that much better? Pretty much shattering that theory, though, are the glowing reviews blurbed at the front of this edition, written not just about Hassler in general or his later work but specifically about The Love Hunter (a title I kind of hated more as the book went along and more about Chris and what was in his mind was divulged), reviews such as this: "His prose is flawless, his characters are decent, believable people about whom you care immensely..." and this: "...Hassler has written a novel of love, of friendship, and of decent people caught by circumstances they cannot control." Those two blurbs stood out to me as being especially curious for their focus on "decent people"; they made me wonder if I'd just read the same book as the reviewers. The only major character who is even partly sympathetic is Larry, whose suffering and actions are at least understandable because of his disease, but applying the word "decent" even to him seems circumspect considering he did, after all, seduce and marry his young student (or as thoughts attributed to Rachel's mom put it, "he plucked her . . . out of her girlhood and made a wife of her before she was graduated from high school"). Chris, the "hunter" of the title, is far worse than that; his pursuit of Rachel is mostly just creepy, especially when he's trying to woo his only friend's wife with talk of List and Renoir or to kiss her when she clearly doesn't want to. It becomes both ridiculous and annoying to keep reading that he (Chris) wanted "nothing but the best" for Larry even in the same scene he's bad-mouthing him and trying to put the moves on Rachel. Also, the dialogue in this book routinely fell flat, for me, the characters uttering words that too often sound contrived and like nothing anyone would really ever think, much less say. Having noted all that, I thought the flashback scenes to the duck hunting in the early '60s were well done and, while not "flawless," some of the best parts of the tale. And along the way, there were moments when the writing struck me as pretty brilliant, as when Hassler describes a hungover duck hunter at the camp's breakfast table: "The cheery man's vision was entirely inward this morning, and bloodshot. ... Last night's color had left his cheeks and moved into the whites of his eyes." It's such writing (along with my enthusiasm for Rookery Blues) that will keep me seeking out other Hassler titles; I just wouldn't recommend this one.

First line:
"At the appointed time--sunrise--Chris arrived at the Quinns' house in his mint-green Chevrolet."

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The muscles designed for sarcasm -lemon-sucking muscles - were well developed.

It was Chris’s belief that what people thought of their teeth had a lot to do with how they came to terms with humor.

The only reason I finished this book was because I love Jon Hassler and the descriptive way he writes, and I wanted to see if Chris would actually go through with killing Larry. He didn’t. Then I was afraid someone else would die in true Hassler fashion, but they didn’t. They went home and Larry died from his MS a year later.
I disliked Chris, he felt like a slime and falling in love then sleeping with his best friends wife while his best friend suffered with MS. How low can you go? And the wife wasn’t much better. Not that you really cared for Larry, he was a jerk as well. None of the characters were very likeable and will be easily forgotten. The only good from this book is the beautiful descriptive writing Hassler does.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1979 Chris and Larry are longtime best buds and Larry is dying a long slow death from MS. Larry is married to Rachel and Chris having known her a long time as well, realizes he is in love with her. Chris decides Larry has not been the Larry of old, the fun-loving buddy, but instead has become an embittered, angry and mean-spirited man at death’s door. It’s his intention to put Larry out of his misery by killing him and then having Rachel to himself. The story jumps between the present and past, the story leading up to the reasoning behind his plot to kill Larry. It’s suspenseful and heartbreaking at the same time. Is it a mercy killing or a murder? Well told and plotted, I like this author. I hope to read more of his books.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have reread this recently. A somewhat dark story...unlike other books I have read by Jon Hassler. But I did like it a lot.

[Bobby Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful novel.

[Grace Butler · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a book that I can recommend although I did like Staggerford Flood. I really did not like any of the characters and I wanted them all to die...sooner than any of them did.

[Sharon Wildfang · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was gripping and character development of Larry and Rachel was very good, but I disliked Chris so much that it diminished my enjoyment of the book.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I didn’t like the book at first and I thought about not finishing it, I did finish it and I enjoyed it. The writing was descriptive and I felt the mud and the wind etc.

[Rhonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

T

[Jennifer Willcutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good love story with great characters and a moral dilemma that keeps you guessing if he will really go through with it?! Also, a great read for the feeling of Fall in Minnesota.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minnesotans Chris MacKensie and Larry Quinn are driving up to Canada for a hunting trip. We eventually learn that Chris has broken at least two of the Ten Commandments: He has coveted Larry's wife and he has committed adultery with Larry's wife. And during their hunting trip, he plans to break a third by murdering Larry.
Larry is in the late stages of multiple sclerosis, and Chris rationalizes that he would be doing his friend a favor. But he also still covets Larry's wife Rachel, who -- in spite of that one dalliance with Chris -- remains faithful to her husband and is unavailable as long as he lives.
The reader doesn't learn about all of this right away but is told of the murder scheme almost immediately and is left to wonder: Will he really do it?
I wouldn't dream of answering that question in this review, but I will say you have to read a long ways to find out, as Jon Hassler presents the back story at an infuriatingly relaxed pace. Although not written in the first person, "The Love Hunter" is told from Chris' perspective, and he proves to be an amiable jerk. After a while, you, the reader, are not sure you really want to spend any more time with Chris. But of course you have to, because the suspense is killing you by now and you MUST know if Chris will really kill Larry.
"The Love Hunter" is darker than most of Hassler's novels. I think I like the lighter ones better.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading Jon Hassler in chronological order; this third effort, though no "Staggerford," really hit the spot. It's not as amusing as many other Hassler novels, and I liked the increased drama. What does a man do when he falls in love with a friend's wife -- and that friend is dying and will suffer?

Hassler handles the subject matter with great dexterity in a deeply moving novel that raises interesting life questions. There's plenty of outdoors, duck hunting, love, friendship, selfishness, selflessness, darkness, light. My only real gripe? Too much about cooking and eating duck! Really strong, though, one of those books I'd add an extra rating star to right at the end when I realize how moved I was.

[Barner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jon Hassler is a distant relative of a good friend. so I enjoyed telling her I have read another of his novels. This one was suggested to me by another friend. I recommend it as good LIGHT reading, a day at the beach, a day in an airport, that sort of occasion. The main character, a college counselor, is believable--most of the time-- and usually likeable, but the basic plot is a little out of reach, I think. The book is about love and about hunting: the ending leaves you fairly certain about the events to follow, but maybe you no longer care very much.

I have enjoyed other Hassler books. This one left me disappointed.

[Douglas Armstrong · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having just read Jon Hassler's "Grand Opening" and enjoyed it, I was disappointed to find this work contrived and tedious. By turns it is implausible and overwrought and the nonstop cerebral angst grows wearisome. I wanted to put the book down and not finish it because I could not believe in Hassler's college counselor protagonist, or his dying friend's struggle with MS, or the protagonist's absurd infatuation with his friend's wife. The ending turns action packed, but struck me as not very plausible.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me: The least satisfying of Hassler's books. It's a love triangle story. Basically decent people. But the protagonist/narrator suddenly becomes a murderer - only he doesn't; circumstances prevent that. This book has problems in every area. Dialogue that doesn't ring true, poorly motivated characters and patchy story arc. On the other hand; He's such a GOOD writer that I still felt like reading it, finishing it. That's what you do for friends and those who've been there for you before.

[Timna · Rating 4 out of 5]

P picked this up off his parents' shelves over Christmas, I ran out of books (oh no! off to the library today), so I started it, too.

Set in the 70s, main characters are a man dying of MS, his wife, and his best friend, who's in love with the wife. Well written, parts are really interesting, but other parts just didn't seem to ring true to me.

[Tamira · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book for the most part. It, like Staggerford, another novel that Hassler wrote, starts very slowly. However, unlike Staggerford, it picks up pace and become a genuinely enjoyable book. I like the plot and the way that Hassler makes the characters so real. It had enough twists to make it interesting, but not so many that it seems unreal. I would definitely recommend this one.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was the 1st of Hassler's books I read. The plot sounds like it'd be a thriller, the narrator is planning a murder after all, but it is really a character study of two best friends as a wasting disease slowly kills one of them. It is also a hunting story with detailed descriptions of northern Minnesota and of northern Manitoba.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so twisted for a man from MN to compose. I love being in on the secret thinkings of a desperate, mildly crazy man who covets his neighbor’s wife. The planning and details of the to-be murder/accident are creepy and keeps you guessing until the very end.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have high respect for the work of Jon Hassler. I have admired his character sketches.

While there is a good development of characters in this story, I was caught up in the story that had a different yet pleasing fish.

It was an enjoyable read.

[Patsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Larry Quinn lives in a college town in rural Minnesota. He is dying from multiple sclerosis and his best friend, Chris MacKensie, has fallen in love with Larry's wife, Rachel. The love for the dying and passion for the living form an uneasy bond, as the three of them face the truth of life together

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

A true Minnesotan novel by a former U of M professor.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as others by Jon Hassler

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hassler's a very good writer--his characters are fun and interesting and so true to life. Kind of a sad story, but a good one.

[Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as his others. Still a good read because in the first few pages the guy says he is going to kill his best friend. Creepy.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

not great prose/style but characters are good and the portrayal of friendship/love/dying process good,

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dying husband, a wife, and his best friend.

[Sarah Smits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hassler is one of the few authors whose books I can read more than once. It is always such a pleasure to be amongst those characters again--like going home.