First published 2001
Frederick and Steven Barthelme are accomplished writers living stable adult lives when tragedy strikes repeatedly. They lose both parents in quick succession, following the earlier death of their third brother. Grief leaves them emotionally adrift. Their architect father leaves behind a substantial inheritance, but the brothers discover the Mississippi coast gambling boats. Over several years, they lose nearly a quarter million dollars to the casinos. Then authorities charge them with violating state gambling laws. They face fingerprinting, arrest, and two years of felony prosecution that becomes widely publicized. Frederick tells their story with dark humor, examining how they fell into this trap. He explores the magnetic pull of casinos and the dangerous illusions that can wreck lives when people aren't vigilant.
Genres: american-fiction, grief, addiction, crime, biography-memoir, family-drama
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: grief, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Mississippi
Period: 20th-century
189 pages · Kindle Edition · Mariner Books
Content warnings: addiction, mental-illness