About The Bookie’s Son
- Paperback: 248 pages
- Publisher: (sixoneseven) books (May 1, 2012)
In 1960, as a way to pay off some of his debt, the bookie, Harry Davis, starts collecting loan payments for the Bronx gangster, Nathan Glucksman. Making his rounds, Harry visits a sweet tailor named Morris, who is a survivor of the Holocaust. Whether out of pity, or because Harry was one of the liberators of the camps during World War II, or because he is prone to rash decisions, instead of collecting from Morris he gives him some of Nathan’s money so that he can move to Israel. Nathan’s henchmen, the Spratz brothers, come looking for Harry, who is forced to escape and leave his bookie business in the hands of his twelve-year-old son, Ricky, and his almost deaf and nearly blind mother-in-law, Rosie.
The Spratz brothers ransack the apartment and threaten not only to harm to Harry, but also Ricky’s mother, Pearl. Ricky, who is his mother’s confidant and emotional crutch, takes it on himself to raise the money and rescue his family. He dreams of being the hero. Like the rest of the Davis family—the best family in the Bronx—he believes he is an extraordinary person trapped in an ordinary life.
He embarks on a series of failed attempts to obtain money, which he needs to bet on a fixed horse race. He ends up stealing cash from his father’s drawer—money that his father was saving to make a payment to Nathan—and then rides in a stolen car to Aqueduct to place his bet.
Meanwhile, other members of the family, in their own shady ways, are trying to acquire cash so they can appease Nathan. Harry is working on smuggling tax free cigarettes from North Carolina and Pearl is planning to embezzle money from Elizabeth Taylor, a client of her boss.
Each member of the family is broken and needs fixing. Though they are all unscrupulous, they are filled with love and loyalty. Fast paced, engrossing and full of heart, The Bookie’s Son paints a picture of a family forced to decide just how much they’re willing to sacrifice for each other––and at what cost.
“Powerful Debut” –Publishers Weekly
“A good summer read.”–Library Journal
“Whip-smart, atmospheric and funny, Andrew Goldstein’s The Bookie’s Son will transport and endear you with its tale of a young hustler on the move to save his family.” -Jenna Blum, author of The New York Times & international bestsellers Those Who Save Us and The Storm Chasers
“In this rollicking debut, Andrew Goldstein captures the Bronx in 1960 with vivid detail and larger than life characters…a menacing and a hilarious read.” -Ladette Randolph, author of A Sandhills Ballad and the editor-in-chief of Ploughshares
“Wow. This is a great novel. Brilliantly written, it reminds me of a combination of Angela’s Ashes and David Sedaris. Deeply insightful as well as very funny.”-Sophie Powell, author of The Mushroom Man
About Andrew Goldstein
Andrew Goldstein’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Tuesday, September 4th: Lit and Life
Wednesday, September 5th: A Patchwork of Books
Thursday, September 6th: Man of La Book
Wednesday, September 12th: Peeking Between the Pages
Thursday, September 13th: The Perks of Being a JAP
Friday, September 14th: House of the Seven Tails
Monday, September 17th: Broken Teepee
Tuesday, September 18th: Life in Review
Wednesday, September 19th: Unabridged Chick
Friday, September 21st: Raging Bibliomania
Tuesday, September 25th: WV Stitcher
Wednesday, September 26th: I Am A Reader, Not A Writer author Q&A
Thursday, September 27th: Bagels, Books and Schmooze
Thursday, September 27th: Between the Covers
Friday, September 28th: Mom in Love with Fiction
Tuesday, November 27th: Fiction Addict