First published 2002
Bobby Gold is a hulking ex-con haunted by the grim work of coercion and violence he's forced to do as a nightclub security chief for his old college buddy Eddie Fish. But the technician's pride in his brutal craft is fading, and his only solace is falling for Nicole, a reckless line-cook who's seen it all. As Eddie's organization crumbles, Bobby's tenuous hold on his humanity slips further away. This bruising mobster memoir from Anthony Bourdain follows one man's lonely struggle to retain his soul in a world that's slowly crushing it.
Genres: fiction, crime, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: dark, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: anti-hero, redemption-arc
120 pages · Paperback · Canongate Books
Content warnings: graphic-violence, violence