Andrew Goldstein (4)

Originally posted on A Reader of Fictions.

Oddly enough, I received this book for review because I commented on Unabridged Chick's review of it, saying that The Bookie's Son didn't necessarily sound like a 'me book.' Andrew Goldstein sent me a review request later that day. Turning down such a daring personal request is highly difficult for me. If he thinks his book can charm me in spite of my initial disinterest, then I'm willing to let it try. Well, Andrew's boasts proved correct and I was show more rewarded with a good read for giving The Bookie's Son a chance.

The Bookie's Son is very much a character-driven piece, as opposed to plot-driven. Andrew captures a time and a set of people perfectly, bringing them alive in my head. Though I don't know anyone like any of these people, I could hear and see them clearly in my head, right down to their Bronx accents. Ordinarily, I am not a visual reader, but he built these characters and the setting so well that I was in this instance.

My favorite character by far is Rosie, the controlling, sassy grandmother. I've realized that I really adore sassy grandmother characters in fiction. They're just so hilarious, dropping truth bombs left and right, because they're old and no longer give any fucks. It's fantastic. Rosie, despite poor vision and breasts that hang down, remains convinced of her perfection and sexiness. She's the kind of grandmother who offers food to every guest, even the toughs sent in to shake down Ricky's bookie father. Even though she's constantly critical of her family, she would do anything to protect them. I just loved her.

Ricky's mother and father are rather tragic figures, both possessed of so much potential but failing to end up as more than a couple of indebted crooks. Harry has a lot of charisma, which is how he won Pearl, beautiful and hoping to be a star. Unfortunately, Harry's addicted to gambling, to schemes, to bets. Even worse, he's not good at any of those things. The family could live quite comfortably if he just accepted his lot, worked as a tailor, and didn't try to turn their minimal amount of money into a fortune. Pearl has a good job and they could live off of her salary, I'm sure. Pearl could perhaps have been a star, beautiful and talented, but instead she married this wastrel and had two children.

Ricky entirely lacks a good, strong adult to emulate. At 12 going on 13, he is about to become a man according to Jewish tradition, but he has no clue how to be a good man. His father berates him and puts him down constantly. Lacking strength and living in a bad neighborhood, Ricky frequently runs into bullies he stands no chance of fighting, earning him black eyes and more judgment from his father. The tragedy of his tale is that he so obviously could be a wonderful man and is a good kid at heart, but he behaves the way people around him do, often ending up doing horrible things, particularly to Mara, the girl in his building who likes him.

Be prepared for some very adult themes in this book. I was caught of guard by both exceedingly violent and sexual scenes. I wasn't really expecting this slim volume to be so hard-hitting. These scenes do not feel gratuitous by any means, but, if you go in expecting fluffy, cute historical fiction, you will no doubt be horrified. Also, never borrow money from the mafia; it can only end in tears.

If you like books to really transport you to another place and time, then I highly recommend The Bookie's Son. show less

This is a devastating novel of a place, and an era -- the Bronx, 1960s -- and a young man's coming-of-age among horrifying violence. Ricky Davis, facing his Bar Mitzvah, has a crush on a Catholic girl in his building. His father, a dress cutter and part-time bookie, owes money to a local mobster, and one mistake after another leads to the family spiraling into real danger.

Ricky wants, of course, to make things better. He loves -- and fears -- his passionate, beautiful parents, a striking show more couple meant for better things, perhaps, but caught by real life. He tries to figure out how to make enough money to pay off his family's debt to the mobster so his parents can be happy again. He's encouraged by his rabbi to meditate on what it is to become a man, but Ricky faces challenges most adults don't have to grapple with.

Goldstein's writing is brisk, evocative; I raced through this book -- cringing, at times, because of the violence featured or sexual experiences of young Ricky (neither of which are gratuitous, and feel appropriate to the story) -- because I wanted to know how the Davis' would survive. At the heart of this book is family, and despite their dysfunction, Goldstein made me love them. show less

This delightful book is told through the eyes of young Ricky Davis - the son of small time bookie and big time dreamer Harry. His mother Pearl works for an entertainment lawyer in New York city and she yearns for so much more from life. They live in the Bronx - a Bronx that is deteriorating around them. Harry is always working on the next big deal but nothing ever comes through; in fact he is currently so far in debt to the local gangster Nathan that the enforcers have been threatening show more Ricky. Nathan is in love with Pearl and will cancel the debt for one night with her - but Pearl won't cheat on Harry and Nathan is a pig. Ricky thinks he needs to save his family but all of his ideas only raise small amounts of money and/or lead to him getting beat up.

This book is pitch perfect in character, time period and dialog. In spite of some cringe worthy passages I didn't want to leave Ricky and his truly crazy life. It was like stepping into a black and white movie from my childhood and I could hear those New York accents from home. Poor Ricky finds himself in some highly inappropriate situations but that is where the lessons occur. His mother over-shares, his father is always looking for the next big money making opportunity and rationalizing actions is a way of life. Mr. Goldstein knows how to create mood and set tone and I'd love to see what happens to Ricky next. show less

The setting is 1960’s in the Bronx. Ricky, the twelve-year-old son of a Bookie, is the narrator of the novel. Ricky is Jewish and is studying for his Bar Mitzvah. His effort to learn his speech is going poorly just like everything else in his life. He is trying to grow up to be a help to his family but his efforts always seem to end in a hopeless mess. At the same time that his efforts at trying to become a man are failing, his mother puts him in the position of being her confidante. Ricky show more is caught in a limbo between being a boy and a man. Growing up in this Jewish family was certainly full of surprises, from a father who owes money to the mob, to a mother who shoplifts, and to a grandmother who fakes accidents, leaving the reader to wonder what will happen next.

In spite of some violent mob encounters in the book, I became immersed in the comedic tragedy of the family’s situation. As I was reading, I found it difficult to know whether to laugh or cry as each new scenario unfolded. I consider Andrew Goldstein’s first novel a success. show less