Driving across the Brooklyn Bridge with a body in the trunk, Jimmy Gambar has the feeling that his brother, Gus, known as "The Ghost" in the neighborhood, is taking him back to 16th-century Sicily. Long estranged from his family, Jimmy's on an all-night ride into his past with a brother who, for all he knows, might save him or kill him. Jimmy's about to find out once and for all who loves him best.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Nothing is what it seems in this tight, funny and refreshing 1990s take on A Christmas Carol. The Scrooge here is architect Jimmy Gambar, favored by both a successful career and the love of a beautiful woman. But after Jimmy's egomania sparks a lovers' quarrel on New Year's Eve, and a potential one-night stand drops dead in his apartment, he encounters his very own ghost of days gone by: his big brother Gus "The Ghost" Gambuzza, a reputed gangster. In an odyssey that takes him from Soho through Brooklyn, Jimmy confronts the past he's been avoiding for most of his adult life. Carillo neatly balances the quirky and sometimes hilarious events of the long night with artfully arranged flashbacks. Through conversations, memories and Jimmy's subtly portrayed point of view, the members of the Gambuzza family grow and become more complex, as does Jimmy himself. What started out as a wild ride to get rid of a corpse ends up as a touching and believable story of family love and survival, a testament to Carillo's storytelling abilities.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
When Jimmy Gambar, Brooklyn punk turned yuppie architect, breaks up with his girlfriend on New Year's Eve, abandoning a choice table at Windows on the World, he winds up in a downtown bar with a switchblade-packing whore who, in turn, winds up dead on the floor of Jimmy's Soho loft--an accident, yes, but dead all the same. Jimmy has no choice but to call his brother, Gus "The Ghost" Gambuzzo. So begins a long night's journey into day for the Gambuzzo brothers, who relive their misspent youths and sort through a closetful of unresolved emotions, all the while trying to figure out what to do with the stiff in the trunk. Reminiscent of the movie After Hours, this nightmarish picaresque novel mixes elements of slapstick, the surreal, and the absurd, all delivered in rambunctious, wildly profane Brooklynese. If the result leans a bit heavily on blue-collar sentimentality, Carillo generates more than enough wacky energy to keep most readers from caring. Bill Ott
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quick entertaining read,
By A Customer
This review is from: My Ride with Gus (Mass Market Paperback)
"My Ride With Gus" is a highly entertaining novel which reads quickly and yet manages to convey a few life lessons. I recommend this book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great round-trip read!,
By A Customer
This review is from: My Ride with Gus (Hardcover)
With great characterizations, Charles Carillo writes a holiday story that slaps you upside the head with the notion that no matter who you are or what you do, you have a family. Starting with the initial accident and carried over the next few hours with a family reunion, "My Ride With Gus" drives home the point that while we all go our separate ways, we all started from the same point, and if we lose our way the best solution is to head back to where the terrain becomes familiar again
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a Fun Ride,
By Ann-Marie (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: My Ride with Gus (Hardcover)
I found this book a fast and delightful ride. If you are a fan of Elmore Leonard or Jimmy Breslin, this one will fit the bill. I'm surprised that no one has made a movie yet. Great fun.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
