First published 1999
Frankie Machine returns from World War II to the streets of Chicago, where he makes his living dealing cards with hands skilled enough to earn him his nickname. But Frankie carries more than war memories. He struggles with drug addiction while navigating a world of poverty and desperation. When a murder occurs, Frankie finds himself entangled in circumstances that threaten to destroy what remains of his already fragile existence. The killing may prove the smallest of his troubles as he faces the slow disintegration of his life, slice by slice. His addiction pulls him deeper into a cycle of need and self-destruction. Yet even as Frankie confronts human failure and urban decay, his story reveals something unexpected about dignity and survival. In this Chicago underworld of addicts and hustlers, hope persists despite overwhelming odds.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, addiction, 20th-century, crime
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: anti-hero, downward-spiral, redemption
Setting: Chicago
Period: World War II
464 pages · Hardcover · Seven Stories Press
Content warnings: addiction, drug-use, violence