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Becoming Bobby
He quit his job. He abandoned his wife. He left his home and checked-in at the Nirvana Hotel and Casino. In Michael Konik's darkly satirical debut novel, Becoming Bobby, an American Humbert Humbert is overwhelmed by fantasizes of becoming a Vegas big shot.
- GenresFiction
240 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2012
1 person is currently reading
418 people want to read
About the author
Michael Konik
25 books21 followersBased in Southern California, Michael Konik is a writer, composer, record producer, artist, improviser, former television personality, unusually articulate stoner, burgeoning thought leader and generally decent person.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 16, 2012
I have read all of Michael Konik's books which were all non-fiction. I was eager to read his first novel which unsurprisingly upon reading the synopsis involves Las Vegas and casinos. I find "Becoming Bobby" a triumph for Mr. Konik as a novelist! He wrote a unique story with an unexpected ending and a strong, peculiar and surprisingly sympathetic character. One may easily dismiss this book about casino and gambling which would be unfortunate. "Becoming Bobby" exquisitely defines what our culture dictates is insignificant and cleverly showed through the mind of a delusional middle age man what it is like to be insignificant and the incredible ways human beings will do to become "Bobby" -- beautiful, sexy, cool, important. All a necessary life lesson. An incredible read full of dark humor, inspiring passages, clever twists, "Becoming Bobby" is highly recommended and so fitting in today's society where more and more people feel insignificant because of the increasing gap between the rich and poor, the alarming rapidly decreasing attention span of human beings and the continued fascination of the world with celebrities. I am looking forward to Konik's next novel.
January 4, 2013
A must read book! At some point it is also a reflection of ourselves. Everyone of us has a struggle of BECOMING BOBBY!
January 6, 2013
Strange Stuff!
Weird, weird book about a weird dude. I found it very spooky and strange in a good way. Try it. See what you think.
Weird, weird book about a weird dude. I found it very spooky and strange in a good way. Try it. See what you think.
January 6, 2013
Becoming Familiar With Becoming Bobby.
This book reminded me a lot of Bret Easton Ellis without the drugs. You get the same kind of interior workings of the mind thing and intense psychology without ever doing the psychology. Clever.
I gotta say, I didn't find Bobby sad at all. He's obviously delusional, and if you don't get that you don't get the joke. I think the author did a good job of making this point clear if you read carefully.
Liked the casino scenes. Loved the office/boss scenes. Felt unclean after reading the massage parlor scenes.
It's a quick read but it stays with you.
This book reminded me a lot of Bret Easton Ellis without the drugs. You get the same kind of interior workings of the mind thing and intense psychology without ever doing the psychology. Clever.
I gotta say, I didn't find Bobby sad at all. He's obviously delusional, and if you don't get that you don't get the joke. I think the author did a good job of making this point clear if you read carefully.
Liked the casino scenes. Loved the office/boss scenes. Felt unclean after reading the massage parlor scenes.
It's a quick read but it stays with you.
January 6, 2013
Funny! "Becoming Bobby" is one of the funniest books I've ever read. It's also one of the saddest. Michael Konik is a special writer. You should experience this book. It's not like anything else I've read, and that's my highest compliment.
January 6, 2013
"Hilarious"
No one "gets" Vegas like Konik. Literally had me laughing out loud (LOL!). Truly hilarious and icky in just the right way.
No one "gets" Vegas like Konik. Literally had me laughing out loud (LOL!). Truly hilarious and icky in just the right way.
January 9, 2013
Satire at its Finest!
As a regular reader of Michael Konik's essays, I know him to be a writer always searching for the truth about the way things really are. In his debut novel, he synthesizes many of the grand themes of Today: overconsumption, celebrity, power, sex, ennui. Using Las Vegas as a metaphor, he constructs a world in which a lonely Nobody dreams of being a beloved Somebody. It works.
"Becoming Bobby" is a great accomplishment on a literary level. But even more it passes the greater test of being an enjoyable and diverting journey into one man's deadly dark mind.
As a regular reader of Michael Konik's essays, I know him to be a writer always searching for the truth about the way things really are. In his debut novel, he synthesizes many of the grand themes of Today: overconsumption, celebrity, power, sex, ennui. Using Las Vegas as a metaphor, he constructs a world in which a lonely Nobody dreams of being a beloved Somebody. It works.
"Becoming Bobby" is a great accomplishment on a literary level. But even more it passes the greater test of being an enjoyable and diverting journey into one man's deadly dark mind.
January 7, 2013
"Mind Has Been Blown"
Very impressed! My expectations were for something far more formulaic and hacky. "Becoming Bobby" I believe is a major, important book. I'm going to be very curious to see if Konik can follow this up with another strong novel. I'm betting he will.
Very impressed! My expectations were for something far more formulaic and hacky. "Becoming Bobby" I believe is a major, important book. I'm going to be very curious to see if Konik can follow this up with another strong novel. I'm betting he will.
January 9, 2013
I have always hated Las Vegas because it seems to represent the worst elements of America. Greed, Lust, Envy, etc. For someone who is so closely associated with Las Vegas such as Michael Konik is with his books and TV shows, I think it's interesting how he portrays Las Vegas -- "the desert" -- as a cesspool of lies. People find this funny. I found it spot-on, so true it hurts.
January 11, 2013
"We Are Bobby"
Instead of "Everyman" can we just call the narrator "Everybody"? I'm a female and I am Bobby! Are you?
Instead of "Everyman" can we just call the narrator "Everybody"? I'm a female and I am Bobby! Are you?
January 11, 2013
"Konik is Becoming a Novelist"
This is not the masterpiece people here are making this out to be. But it is very, very good. I think Konik's next one should be even better.
This is not the masterpiece people here are making this out to be. But it is very, very good. I think Konik's next one should be even better.
March 26, 2014
The success of a book relies on the narrator. I have read many books with many narrators, but I have never come across such a terrible narrator. The narrator, let's call him Bobby (because that is what he likes to be called) is such a terrible person that words cannot even describe how terrible he is. He is sexist, racist, greedy, shallow, and altogether creepy. I am positive that he has narcissistic personality disorder and quite sure that he also has borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder.
Bobby's overwhelming character flaws might not make the book so bad, if it focused on anything, anything at all, that wasn't Bobby's greed or his delusional ramblings. But it's hard to like a book that focuses completely on such a terrible person. I just can't like a book like this one with such an unsympathetic character as Bobby.
I got this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Bobby's overwhelming character flaws might not make the book so bad, if it focused on anything, anything at all, that wasn't Bobby's greed or his delusional ramblings. But it's hard to like a book that focuses completely on such a terrible person. I just can't like a book like this one with such an unsympathetic character as Bobby.
I got this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
April 16, 2013
The main character of the book kind of seems to be someone we relate to and at the same time loath. He kind of has the worst characteristic but at the same time seems to not purposely posses these traits. In the society we live in now that equates success with money, looks, and 'star power' this book really kind of shows what this leads too.
The writing of the book keeps the book flowing but I found the ending to come a bit abrupt. I was also felt though the end also started to drag and there wasn't a good climax to keep the reader interested.
All and all I think the book was well done and the knowledge behind the world of gambling helped really help the detailing in the books.
The writing of the book keeps the book flowing but I found the ending to come a bit abrupt. I was also felt though the end also started to drag and there wasn't a good climax to keep the reader interested.
All and all I think the book was well done and the knowledge behind the world of gambling helped really help the detailing in the books.
January 19, 2013
I've read all of Konik's gambling writings as he is the premiere gambling writer out there. I thought his last one "The Smart Money" about the sports betting gang was his best to date. Now we have "Becoming Bobby" and I think he's outdone himself. This one flies by. Very quick read. Still, it is full of those Michael Konik details that you see in his nonfiction writing. Loved it and look forward to more.
January 19, 2013
Summing it up: Guy hates his life. Dreams of being a big shot named "Bobby." Has a "relationship" with a teenaged prostitute. Quits his horrible job (FUNNIEST SCENE IN THE BOOK). Leaves his wife. Moves to Las Vegas. Gets lucky. Gets unlucky. Goes somewhere else. (I WILL NOT RUIN THE SURPRISE ENDING).
February 14, 2013
I won this book from First Reads, and I found it to be a quick and entertaining read. The stream-of-consciousness narration and nameless main character are creative touches, but the protagonist is completely unlikeable. I believe this is on purpose, as he fulfills every unlikeable middle-aged man's fantasy of leaving his wife, leaving his job, and winning lots of money at a casino.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews