BOOMBOX [Paperback]

Gabriel Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2007

One block. Four neighbors. One very loud problem.

Black and white, young and old, men and women, they live in Brooklyn's Boerum Hill, sharing a courtyard in relative harmony. It's what a former mayor liked to call "the urban mosaic."

There's Carol Fasone, a secretary enjoying her new marriage to a Bosnian immigrant. There's Mitchell Brett, a Wall Streeter transplanted from Manhattan's Upper East Side, trying to get his wife pregnant. There's Grace Howard, hoping for a promotion in her corporate job, surprised to find herself beginning a romance with a member of the Board. And then there's teenage Jamel Wilson, who buys a big sound system to impress his friends from the projects around the corner, blasts gangster rap into the backyard gardens, and--over the course of one hot summer--pushes the block's friendships and alliances past the breaking point.

In Boombox, the author of the Edgar Award-nominated mystery novel Red Hook turns to a different kind of story: a finely-observed urban drama, and a heartfelt, unflinching answer to Rodney King's plaintive question: "Can we all get along?"

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cohen's impressive second novel abandons the gritty waterfront of his Edgar-nominated debut, Red Hook, in favor of a rapidly gentrifying nook a few stops up the F train line. Shortly after 9/11 in Brooklyn's Boerum Hill, Jamel Wilson, a 16-year-old father and high school dropout who finds a sense of pride in his fast food gig, wants to listen to music in his courtyard, but his recreation is a profound irritation to his demographically diverse neighbors, each with domestic dramas of their own. Carol Fasone lives with her racist mother and Bosnian husband, Milosz, whom she's putting through engineering school. Mitchell Brett, a bored accountant, and his attractive but troubled wife, Kristin, are trying to have a child. Grace Howard, a West Indian lady, is a workaholic at a downtown insurance company hoping for a big promotion and some romance. Jamel's mother, Melba, sells real estate and struggles to keep Jamel off the streets. But when tempers flare over the loud music, the cops are of little help and the situation turns volatile. Despite an unsurprising climax, Cohen's tight plot, complex characters and vibrant cityscape create a convincing slice of urban life. (July)
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About the Author

Cohen’s first novel, Red Hook, was published by St Martin’s Press in 2001. Otto Penzler, famed bookseller and editor, called the book “atmospheric, and shot through with moments of real truth." Cohen has written for The New York Times, Time Out New York and The Progressive. He lives in Brooklyn.

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers (April 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897335589
• ISBN-13: 978-0897335584
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,874,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Underpowered Boombox, June 13, 2008

By 

Raymond Block "mellowman" (New Jersey.USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BOOMBOX (Paperback)

Although the book was an easy read and kept to a fairly predictable story line,I felt it was not up to the level of Red Hook or Graving Dock. Nonetheless,Gabriel Cohen continues to provide enjoyable reading.

2.0 out of 5 stars Boombox review, December 24, 2010

By 

MT - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: BOOMBOX (Paperback)

I live in the neighborhod where the book was set , and that's why I wanted to read it. Thought it was just ok. . . I liked recognizing the areas he wrote about. the writing was just ok

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars compelling, grim but compassionate, May 15, 2007

By 

Bookish (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: BOOMBOX (Paperback)

I raced through Boombox to its inexorable conclusion, pulled along by the skillful plotting and by the disparate but believable people in the four households. Given the sympathy Cohen extends to all his characters, one hopes that they will transcend their racial boundaries. That they don't, however, is probably more realistic.