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The Human Bobby: A Novel by Gabe Rotter
THE GRIPPING STORY OF THE UNRAVELING OF ONE MAN’S SEEMINGLY PERFECT LIFE, AND HIS STRUGGLE TO GET EVERYTHING BACK.A new baby, a loving wife, a solid career, a dream house in Beverly Dr. Bobby Flopkowski has it all. Until a complicated series of events snowball into a disaster that changes the course of his life forever.Now, with a tent on the beach as his only home and an addiction that has cut him off from everyone he once loved, Bobby has a revelation that could put him back on he believes he has solved the puzzling crime that led to his downfall. But as the reality he’s always known slips farther away, will he be able to convince someone—anyone—that his suspicions aren’t merely the pleas of a desperate man?
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First published August 17, 2010
2 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
About the author
Gabe Rotter
5 books21 followersGabe Rotter, who Publishers Weekly calls “a talented writer” and The X-Files creator Chris Carter calls “a clever storyteller and a smart one, too,” is the author of the novels Duck Duck Wally and The Human Bobby. A native of New York, Rotter now permanently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter. He graduated from film school at the University of Southern California in 2000, and has since worked in television, produced a feature film, penned two novels, written a comic book, and is currently Director of Development for a film and television production company. He has several of his own projects in development for film and television.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
August 28, 2017
This book was amazing. I read it over a day, I just could not put it down. Bobby has it all- a loving wife,a new baby, a dream house and a solid career. He responds to an e mail one day and from then on his life spirals out of control till he has nothing. He struggles to get everything back. Sounds simple does it not- it is anything but. I was sure I had it figured out, but the author sure surprised me. The ending blew me away. It is a perfect discussion book. I highly recommend this one!!
January 27, 2012
Gabe rotter looks like some guy you know.
I don't know why I owned this book. I mean this is one of those books that when the plot came out I was like, "well if I'd known that's what this was going to be about". You know like Amphibian. I read this book because I've been packing etc and it happened to be sitting in the middle of my floor for some reason and I was like, "hey why the hell not? I remember being really excited when I bought this when it came out, let's read it." Well why the fuck was I excited.
There is one very bad chapter in this book, it's near the end, it's a wrap up chapter that reminds me of a montage, and I was sort of like, "god how cliche" but since in this book a chapter is like 4 pages it can be overlooked. I like how it starts with chapter 31, goes back to one, then goes past 31 in the book to 52 (I think). I like the idea of starting in the middle, it's a very good idea.
why am I giving you all this crap that's kind of irrelevant? This is kind of like when I read an lgbt book that I didn't know was lgbt and I feel like part of the awesomeness was from the fact that I didn't have any fucking idea where the book was going when I started it. This book is like that. I refuse to give any real information outside of spoilers.
all of these ARE SPOILERS DON'T CLICK IF YOU ARE GOING TO READ THIS WHICH YOU SHOULD
I don't know why I owned this book. I mean this is one of those books that when the plot came out I was like, "well if I'd known that's what this was going to be about". You know like Amphibian. I read this book because I've been packing etc and it happened to be sitting in the middle of my floor for some reason and I was like, "hey why the hell not? I remember being really excited when I bought this when it came out, let's read it." Well why the fuck was I excited.
There is one very bad chapter in this book, it's near the end, it's a wrap up chapter that reminds me of a montage, and I was sort of like, "god how cliche" but since in this book a chapter is like 4 pages it can be overlooked. I like how it starts with chapter 31, goes back to one, then goes past 31 in the book to 52 (I think). I like the idea of starting in the middle, it's a very good idea.
why am I giving you all this crap that's kind of irrelevant? This is kind of like when I read an lgbt book that I didn't know was lgbt and I feel like part of the awesomeness was from the fact that I didn't have any fucking idea where the book was going when I started it. This book is like that. I refuse to give any real information outside of spoilers.
all of these ARE SPOILERS DON'T CLICK IF YOU ARE GOING TO READ THIS WHICH YOU SHOULD
May 19, 2011
Very well written. Very clever. I hated the story.
September 27, 2010
This book was BRILLIANT! Wow. I Just finished it and couldn't wait to get online and start telling people about it. It's one of those books that just sucks you in and doesn't allow you to stop thinking about it. It sort of takes over your brain until you're finished reading it. And even afterwards, the characters and story will linger in your thoughts. The ending really blew me away. Thought I knew just wehere it was going... but NO! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
October 24, 2010
I have to say the book was deeply engaging but I'm not sure I like the way it ended. I'm not one for David Lynch type endings so hopefully you'll understand my rating without giving too much away on the book.
November 21, 2018
I've been thinking about this book non-stop since I finished it. It was a quick read that kept me hooked from the first page. This is a very believable story about mental illness and all the troubles that come with it. The ending absolutely blew me away and left me chilled. I would recommend this book to anyone!
September 6, 2023
I read this in one day because I really wanted to know what was going on. It's a sad story about debilitating (sp?) mental health illness and I applaud the author for putting a face to what it's like to be so out of touch with their own reality. That said, I didn't really enjoy reading the book or the ending, so tough to give it more than a few stars.
June 4, 2021
Such an easy read that I couldn’t put it down and read it all in one day. Great book that stays with you and leaves you thinking.
Want to read
November 26, 2025writer of 'the beast in me'
October 2, 2010
My rating: 5/5 stars!
THE HUMAN BOBBY is easily my favorite read so far this year. When I closed up the book I was like “Holy Crap!” Yes folks, it was that good. (And no I didn’t say crap I flat out cussed just fyi) And to be honest it’s super easy to give too much of the book away in a review. So I’m going to seriously limit the details and try to get across my feelings to the best of my ability.
Bobby Flopkowski is the main character of the novel. With a last name like that you should definitely expect some fun! Okay, so not really but was very pleasant to find that Bobby was a fun character. Charming and cute he immediately won me over. I quickly became attached to him and I think a lot of readers will have a tough time NOT getting attached to him even when his life becomes unraveled.
Dr. Bobby has it all in the beginning. After meeting and marrying his equally charming wife, the two welcome a beautiful baby boy into the world and their Beverly Hills dream home. Dr. Bobby also practices pediatrics privately with one of his best friends and is in a nice financial comfort zone. Love, check. Successful career, check. Healthy child, check. Dr. Bobby couldn’t ask for more!
And then one day things slowly start to change. A woman from Bobby’s past comes back into his life and sets off a chain of events that will leave Bobby ultimately alone, with soul-eating addictions, living on the beach in a tent. You’re probably asking yourself “Well, what the hell happened to Bobby?” or you’re ticking off probable causes to Bobby’s fate because you think you can guess what happens. But let me just say before you even get started that YOU’RE WRONG! You may think you know what’s going on or what’s going to happen but you don’t. THE HUMAN BOBBY is gripping and is very fast-paced so please don’t fret because you won’t be held in suspense long. Quite frankly the story is heart-breaking. The reader has no choice but to pause and question reality without even knowing that they should.
I’m having a tough time not completely spilling my guts to you so let me quickly wrap up my review before I slip up. The book blew me away. It wasn’t just the ending that took me by surprise. The entire story was so gripping, like alien’s-have-you-by-the-throat-gripping. Yeah, true story. I simply couldn’t stop reading. I had to know what happened to Bobby… and then when I did I was simply speechless. Read THE HUMAN BOBBY. It will take you on such an intense ride that you’ll come off saying “Woah. WTF just happened?”
THE HUMAN BOBBY is easily my favorite read so far this year. When I closed up the book I was like “Holy Crap!” Yes folks, it was that good. (And no I didn’t say crap I flat out cussed just fyi) And to be honest it’s super easy to give too much of the book away in a review. So I’m going to seriously limit the details and try to get across my feelings to the best of my ability.
Bobby Flopkowski is the main character of the novel. With a last name like that you should definitely expect some fun! Okay, so not really but was very pleasant to find that Bobby was a fun character. Charming and cute he immediately won me over. I quickly became attached to him and I think a lot of readers will have a tough time NOT getting attached to him even when his life becomes unraveled.
Dr. Bobby has it all in the beginning. After meeting and marrying his equally charming wife, the two welcome a beautiful baby boy into the world and their Beverly Hills dream home. Dr. Bobby also practices pediatrics privately with one of his best friends and is in a nice financial comfort zone. Love, check. Successful career, check. Healthy child, check. Dr. Bobby couldn’t ask for more!
And then one day things slowly start to change. A woman from Bobby’s past comes back into his life and sets off a chain of events that will leave Bobby ultimately alone, with soul-eating addictions, living on the beach in a tent. You’re probably asking yourself “Well, what the hell happened to Bobby?” or you’re ticking off probable causes to Bobby’s fate because you think you can guess what happens. But let me just say before you even get started that YOU’RE WRONG! You may think you know what’s going on or what’s going to happen but you don’t. THE HUMAN BOBBY is gripping and is very fast-paced so please don’t fret because you won’t be held in suspense long. Quite frankly the story is heart-breaking. The reader has no choice but to pause and question reality without even knowing that they should.
I’m having a tough time not completely spilling my guts to you so let me quickly wrap up my review before I slip up. The book blew me away. It wasn’t just the ending that took me by surprise. The entire story was so gripping, like alien’s-have-you-by-the-throat-gripping. Yeah, true story. I simply couldn’t stop reading. I had to know what happened to Bobby… and then when I did I was simply speechless. Read THE HUMAN BOBBY. It will take you on such an intense ride that you’ll come off saying “Woah. WTF just happened?”
November 2, 2010
Bobby Flopkowski had few natural advantages – he’s average-looking and from a poor background – but he has been lucky in life, and arrived at age forty with a loving family, a lucrative career as a paediatrician, and a plush Beverly Hills house. It all unravels, though, when Bobby’s baby son Jack disappears one night, after being left alone for just five minutes; Bobby’s wife, Ava, leaves him, and he spirals down into a drink- and drug-fuelled depression, frittering his money away on expensive hotel bills. He ends up living on the beach in a tent, with no regular companions save Eddie, a fellow homeless man, and Cecilia, a cafe owner. And then, one day, Bobby spots Katie Turner, his first girlfriend, who walked back into his life shortly before Jack’s disappearance. She doesn’t seem to recognise Bobby any more, and has apparently changed her name – could this be because she knows what has happened to Jack?
Gabe Rotter’s second novel is a marvellously elegant construction. On one level, it’s a sharp study of one man’s decline; Rotter is particularly good at showing how innocent and apparently small decisions might cause a chain of major repercussions: no harm in getting in touch with the old flame, Bobby thinks; but then she turns up at his party, and she needs a place to stay; well, Bobby and Ava have room, so why not invite her – and so on. Bobby’s descent into addiction has a similarly all-too-plausible momentum; he knows that he’s destroying himself, but, having lost everything, he is unable to stop; it’s powerful, and appropriately uncomfortable, reading.
But there’s another layer to The Human Bobby, which is all about perception: just what is going on with Katie Turner? Is Bobby right about her, or has he lost his grip on reality? In a brilliantly disorienting journey, Rotter leads us through several possible interpretations, before finally settling on one that seems just a little too neat – and then wryly undermines it at the last, in a way that could be seen as either opening up the possibilities once more, or showing the depths of Bobby’s desperation. It’s a fine ending to a very fine novel.
Gabe Rotter’s second novel is a marvellously elegant construction. On one level, it’s a sharp study of one man’s decline; Rotter is particularly good at showing how innocent and apparently small decisions might cause a chain of major repercussions: no harm in getting in touch with the old flame, Bobby thinks; but then she turns up at his party, and she needs a place to stay; well, Bobby and Ava have room, so why not invite her – and so on. Bobby’s descent into addiction has a similarly all-too-plausible momentum; he knows that he’s destroying himself, but, having lost everything, he is unable to stop; it’s powerful, and appropriately uncomfortable, reading.
But there’s another layer to The Human Bobby, which is all about perception: just what is going on with Katie Turner? Is Bobby right about her, or has he lost his grip on reality? In a brilliantly disorienting journey, Rotter leads us through several possible interpretations, before finally settling on one that seems just a little too neat – and then wryly undermines it at the last, in a way that could be seen as either opening up the possibilities once more, or showing the depths of Bobby’s desperation. It’s a fine ending to a very fine novel.
October 4, 2012
BOOK DESCRIPTION
When we first meet Dr. Bobby Flopkowski, he has been homeless for some time—living on the beach with his friend Eddie. Although “Dr. Bobby” (as he is known on the streets) has made peace with his current circumstances, things change when he sees a face from his past—a face that might be able to solve the mystery that lays at the heart of why Dr. Bobby’s life fell apart.
You see, Dr. Bobby wasn’t always homeless. He once had a thriving medical practice, a gorgeous home, a beautiful wife and a son who was the joy of his life. But everything fell apart after a series of decisions snowballed into a disaster that cost Dr. Bobby everything.
Determined to solve the mystery that led to his downfall, Dr. Bobby struggles to convince the world around him of the truth. But it can be difficult for man who has been living on the outskirts of society to be taken seriously. Can Dr. Bobby regain what he has lost and perhaps rebuilt his life?
MY THOUGHTS
Oh man … this was such a good book!! Gabe Rotter does a brilliant job of bringing you into Dr. Bobby’s story. You see how each little decision slowly but inevitably led to Bobby’s downfall. You feel his desperation and his pain. You feel the urgency and panic as he realizes he might be able to solve the puzzle that has plagued him for years and to his current way of life. And then, when you’re squarely on Bobby’s side and getting ready to find the answers, Rotter pulls the rug out from under you! I love when authors build you up and then throw a plot twist at you that you never saw coming. It had the same kind of feeling I had when I watched The Sixth Sense for the first time.
I don’t really want to say that much more about it so I don’t spoil anything or give too much away. Just know that this is a clever little book that will suck you in and spit you out the other side … blinking and wondering what just happened to you.
When we first meet Dr. Bobby Flopkowski, he has been homeless for some time—living on the beach with his friend Eddie. Although “Dr. Bobby” (as he is known on the streets) has made peace with his current circumstances, things change when he sees a face from his past—a face that might be able to solve the mystery that lays at the heart of why Dr. Bobby’s life fell apart.
You see, Dr. Bobby wasn’t always homeless. He once had a thriving medical practice, a gorgeous home, a beautiful wife and a son who was the joy of his life. But everything fell apart after a series of decisions snowballed into a disaster that cost Dr. Bobby everything.
Determined to solve the mystery that led to his downfall, Dr. Bobby struggles to convince the world around him of the truth. But it can be difficult for man who has been living on the outskirts of society to be taken seriously. Can Dr. Bobby regain what he has lost and perhaps rebuilt his life?
MY THOUGHTS
Oh man … this was such a good book!! Gabe Rotter does a brilliant job of bringing you into Dr. Bobby’s story. You see how each little decision slowly but inevitably led to Bobby’s downfall. You feel his desperation and his pain. You feel the urgency and panic as he realizes he might be able to solve the puzzle that has plagued him for years and to his current way of life. And then, when you’re squarely on Bobby’s side and getting ready to find the answers, Rotter pulls the rug out from under you! I love when authors build you up and then throw a plot twist at you that you never saw coming. It had the same kind of feeling I had when I watched The Sixth Sense for the first time.
I don’t really want to say that much more about it so I don’t spoil anything or give too much away. Just know that this is a clever little book that will suck you in and spit you out the other side … blinking and wondering what just happened to you.
March 7, 2013
From my blog
A quote by Paul Simon is the intro to the book - losing love is like a window in your heart, everybody sees you're blown apart.
This book is labeled a novel but it is a fascinating tension building thriller, I highly recommend to psychological thriller fans. This is one of the best unreliable character driven books I have read.
I really enjoyed reading about Dr. Bobby and how he met his lovely wife and then their charmed life together. It is amazing what a tragedy will do to a person and a relationship. If you have ever known someone you was trying to help and finally the only way was that they had to hit bottom, but watching and waiting was brutal. The tension in this book is shocking and you just say Dr. Bobby, what will it take, stop and put your life back together.
Dr. Bobby's father committed suicide and left him his manuscript and a gun. Dr. Bobby lives his life just not wanting to be like his dad but in the end it all ends with the manuscript and the gun, in what way is the question,
Such a thought provoking read and as it is labeled a novel you don't try to figure out the mystery. And one suspenseful part we figure out before Dr. Bobby starts solving his tragic crime but I think this adds to the dilemma.
I cannot say more other than go read this. This is one I think more bloggers should read, put it on your soon to be read shelf, it deserves to push a few back down to wait longer.
I do think the title doesn't draw you in and the cover doesn't help even though both are relevant. For those that have read it, what are your thoughts on a title? Mine are My Dad's Manuscript, The Manuscript and the Gun or The Manuscript Tragedy.
I did go back and fourth from 4 1/2 or 5 but Goodreads and Amazon do not do half and it is much better than a 4 so a 5 it gets.
Some may remember my love for The Manufactured Identity by Heath Sommer, I would categorize them the same but I still have love for TMI even after 3 years.
A quote by Paul Simon is the intro to the book - losing love is like a window in your heart, everybody sees you're blown apart.
This book is labeled a novel but it is a fascinating tension building thriller, I highly recommend to psychological thriller fans. This is one of the best unreliable character driven books I have read.
I really enjoyed reading about Dr. Bobby and how he met his lovely wife and then their charmed life together. It is amazing what a tragedy will do to a person and a relationship. If you have ever known someone you was trying to help and finally the only way was that they had to hit bottom, but watching and waiting was brutal. The tension in this book is shocking and you just say Dr. Bobby, what will it take, stop and put your life back together.
Dr. Bobby's father committed suicide and left him his manuscript and a gun. Dr. Bobby lives his life just not wanting to be like his dad but in the end it all ends with the manuscript and the gun, in what way is the question,
Such a thought provoking read and as it is labeled a novel you don't try to figure out the mystery. And one suspenseful part we figure out before Dr. Bobby starts solving his tragic crime but I think this adds to the dilemma.
I cannot say more other than go read this. This is one I think more bloggers should read, put it on your soon to be read shelf, it deserves to push a few back down to wait longer.
I do think the title doesn't draw you in and the cover doesn't help even though both are relevant. For those that have read it, what are your thoughts on a title? Mine are My Dad's Manuscript, The Manuscript and the Gun or The Manuscript Tragedy.
I did go back and fourth from 4 1/2 or 5 but Goodreads and Amazon do not do half and it is much better than a 4 so a 5 it gets.
Some may remember my love for The Manufactured Identity by Heath Sommer, I would categorize them the same but I still have love for TMI even after 3 years.
September 28, 2012
So many bloggers raved about The Human Bobby over the past year, that I just had to read it. It also seemed like a good choice for Carl's RIP VII Challenge, and I am happy to say, it was. There's no horror and it's not scary either. If I had to classify it, I guess I would call it more of a psychological thriller.
In this story Bobby Flopkowski, is a young man whose childhood was marred by the suicide of his plumber father when he was just 15 and the death of his mom just a few years. Bobby was smart, and worked hard to make it through medical school. After graduation, his well-to-do medical school friend, Dicky, invited Bobby (Doc) to join a private pediatric practice in ritzy Brentwood, California. A practice that Dicky's dad had set up for him. Determined to make a better life for his wife is infant son, Bobby was thrilled and he couldn't believe his good fortune, and just what a fantastic life he, his wife Ava, and little son Jack had.
But when Bobby's first girlfriend tracks him down on the internet and comes back into the picture, now more attractive than ever, the reader knows something unsettling is about to happen. Something terrible does happens and Bobby's life and career quickly spiral out of control. I don't want to reveal too much about what exactly happens, but trust me, it is a great story. I will say that the novel begins with Chapter 31, and captured my attention from beginning to end. The story was never confusing and had me anxiously turning pages. Often bizarre and even disturbing, The Human Bobby is fast paced and extremely well done. I'm sorry I waited this long to experience it.
I will definitely be looking forward to more stories from this talented author.
4.5/5 stars
In this story Bobby Flopkowski, is a young man whose childhood was marred by the suicide of his plumber father when he was just 15 and the death of his mom just a few years. Bobby was smart, and worked hard to make it through medical school. After graduation, his well-to-do medical school friend, Dicky, invited Bobby (Doc) to join a private pediatric practice in ritzy Brentwood, California. A practice that Dicky's dad had set up for him. Determined to make a better life for his wife is infant son, Bobby was thrilled and he couldn't believe his good fortune, and just what a fantastic life he, his wife Ava, and little son Jack had.
But when Bobby's first girlfriend tracks him down on the internet and comes back into the picture, now more attractive than ever, the reader knows something unsettling is about to happen. Something terrible does happens and Bobby's life and career quickly spiral out of control. I don't want to reveal too much about what exactly happens, but trust me, it is a great story. I will say that the novel begins with Chapter 31, and captured my attention from beginning to end. The story was never confusing and had me anxiously turning pages. Often bizarre and even disturbing, The Human Bobby is fast paced and extremely well done. I'm sorry I waited this long to experience it.
I will definitely be looking forward to more stories from this talented author.
4.5/5 stars
October 22, 2010
I will never become homeless. I am an extremely successful doctor, have a great best friend, an adoring wife and the most precious young son. And in an instant that all disappeared.
Gabe Rotter has written an impeccable tale of your average Joe finding love, living the dream and having everything taken away from him after a decision to answer an email goes bad. What makes it so intriguing is that the tale can belong to any one of us. We just need that one event to send us down a tale spin. We relate to Bobby in the beginning while he is living the high life. He pulls on our strings in the middle as he tries to cope with the kidnapping of his son and we have pity and sadness for him in the end (where I won’t tell you the shocking twist the author has for you).
It is a fast read (first book I have read in a while where I didn’t take a break in between) with an almost unbelievable story that actually is incredibly convincing. I must confess that I found myself looking at the back cover at least several times to make sure this wasn’t a memoir or a retelling of someone’s life. The incidents and reactions of all the characters are so well written and so true to life, it will have you doing the same.
I recommend this book to not only individuals but to book clubs. After reading “The Human Bobby” not only will you become a fan of the book but more importantly, a fan of the author.
CONTEST: You are going to want to add this book to your pile. Comment below about one small thing you did that ended up having a huge unexpected impact on your life. Winner will be chosen November 1st! Good luck! - for contest please go to foozago.com/blog thank you!
Gabe Rotter has written an impeccable tale of your average Joe finding love, living the dream and having everything taken away from him after a decision to answer an email goes bad. What makes it so intriguing is that the tale can belong to any one of us. We just need that one event to send us down a tale spin. We relate to Bobby in the beginning while he is living the high life. He pulls on our strings in the middle as he tries to cope with the kidnapping of his son and we have pity and sadness for him in the end (where I won’t tell you the shocking twist the author has for you).
It is a fast read (first book I have read in a while where I didn’t take a break in between) with an almost unbelievable story that actually is incredibly convincing. I must confess that I found myself looking at the back cover at least several times to make sure this wasn’t a memoir or a retelling of someone’s life. The incidents and reactions of all the characters are so well written and so true to life, it will have you doing the same.
I recommend this book to not only individuals but to book clubs. After reading “The Human Bobby” not only will you become a fan of the book but more importantly, a fan of the author.
CONTEST: You are going to want to add this book to your pile. Comment below about one small thing you did that ended up having a huge unexpected impact on your life. Winner will be chosen November 1st! Good luck! - for contest please go to foozago.com/blog thank you!
March 8, 2014
Gabe Rotter's "The Human Bobby" is not quite as good a book as his "Duck Duck Wally", which I have reviewed on Goodreads (see the review). The first 80% of it reads as a spellbinding mystery, but the solution of the puzzle, although clever, is not satisfying. I admire the way that the "loose ends" are tied, yet I feel somehow cheated. This is the plague that affects most mystery books I have read - a fascinating setup and then a dud of denouement.
The book cleverly starts with Chapter 31 and only then we are given Chapter 1, where the story of Robert Flopkowski begins. Coming from a blue-collar Brooklyn family, Bobby works his way up to graduating from USC medical school and becoming a successful Beverly Hills pediatrician. His beautiful wife, Ava, loves him, and they have a wonderful baby son, whom they both insanely adore. Happiness in its purest form. Some people are just so lucky.
And then Bobby loses everything. Completely everything. He becomes homeless in Los Angeles, and quite happy about it. Had I stopped reading at the about 80% mark, I would have probably rated the book with almost fours stars. Alas, the denouement, although clever and quite plausible, is disappointing.
"The Human Bobby" is a very well-written book. It is one of the very few books that I read in one night. I strongly recommend it for its extreme readability. Except for the ending, though, it has very little depth. Interesting, clever fluff.
Three stars.
The book cleverly starts with Chapter 31 and only then we are given Chapter 1, where the story of Robert Flopkowski begins. Coming from a blue-collar Brooklyn family, Bobby works his way up to graduating from USC medical school and becoming a successful Beverly Hills pediatrician. His beautiful wife, Ava, loves him, and they have a wonderful baby son, whom they both insanely adore. Happiness in its purest form. Some people are just so lucky.
And then Bobby loses everything. Completely everything. He becomes homeless in Los Angeles, and quite happy about it. Had I stopped reading at the about 80% mark, I would have probably rated the book with almost fours stars. Alas, the denouement, although clever and quite plausible, is disappointing.
"The Human Bobby" is a very well-written book. It is one of the very few books that I read in one night. I strongly recommend it for its extreme readability. Except for the ending, though, it has very little depth. Interesting, clever fluff.
Three stars.
August 16, 2010
From My Blog...[return][return]Deeply compelling, dark and raw, The Human Bobby by Gabe Rotter is a work of pure genius. Every now and again I come across a novel that gives me pause, makes me stop and think and question what I have read and to question myself. Rotter masterfully weaves together a story that will give any reader pause to question, to laugh, to hope, and question more through the brilliantly crafted characters, especially Bobby and his friend Eddie. The story begins with Bobby being homeless, living in a tent on the beach with Eddie. The reader learns through Bobby about Ava, their baby Jack, Bobby’s medical partner, Dicky, the mystery surrounding the abduction of Jack and the spiraling down of Bobby’s life. The Human Bobby asks the reader to determine what is real what is not and begs one to ponder how one can truly know what is real. I expect such richly crafted novels from Russian authors, in this instance Nabokov’s Invitation to a Beheading comes to mind, and I am pleased to have been introduced to Gabe Trotter and look forward to his other works. Without reservation I recommend The Human Bobby, a very fast-paced and intense read, to individuals and discussion groups.
September 18, 2010
I went through a little bit to get this book. Emails back and forth between myself and the PR Department, both wondering if this book would even arrive to my door.
I'm so glad it did.
This is one of those books that seriously pulls you in, and at the end you are left with a wow feeling. My exact words were, "Holy shit!" Excuse the cuss, but it's exact. It was that amazing to read!
Just when I thought I knew everything going on, the suspense would shift to a new thing, and man, it worked every time.
Kudos, Gabe! You're my new literary hero! Very cleverly written!
Definitely a strong recommendation from me, and now a new favorite!
I'm so glad it did.
This is one of those books that seriously pulls you in, and at the end you are left with a wow feeling. My exact words were, "Holy shit!" Excuse the cuss, but it's exact. It was that amazing to read!
Just when I thought I knew everything going on, the suspense would shift to a new thing, and man, it worked every time.
Kudos, Gabe! You're my new literary hero! Very cleverly written!
Definitely a strong recommendation from me, and now a new favorite!
January 21, 2011
I tore through this book in no time. It was heartbreaking and not at all what I expected. After I finished it, I couldn't stop thinking about it and flipped back through to read passages again. What a gripping, incredible book.
January 5, 2011
I thought it was 5-stars until the ending. :( Not my style. Can't say more, don't want to give it away. I would recommend it to others- I could NOT put it down until I was finished. But I can't give it 5-stars, sorry.
December 10, 2010
Short chapters and a fast paced plot make this book a "can't put down" type of read. It kept me engaged right up to the last word.
November 13, 2010
WOW!
Here is the link to my review. A must read!
http://web.me.com/quirion/Bookaddict/...
Here is the link to my review. A must read!
http://web.me.com/quirion/Bookaddict/...
September 5, 2012
Oh well.
January 22, 2011
This was a interesting and compelling read. I'm still digesting the idea of this book.
January 19, 2011
This book was a good, fast read, but I thought it was too predictable.
March 7, 2011
You can read my thoughts here. (4.5/5)
June 1, 2011
4.5 stars
February 1, 2012
Loved this book from the moment I opened it. The story line is full of twists, turns, and surprises and the writing and characters drew me in and kept me craving more.
December 23, 2012
It had a twist, which is good...but the writing style drove me crazy. Too much slang!
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