Raising Jake Book

The best kind of journey, one you don't want to end...funny, moving. —Mike Lupica, New York Times bestselling author of Heat

In Charlie Carillo's funny, insightful novel, a divorced man gets to know his seventeen-year-old son in a tale that rewrites the book on quality time together

Sammy Sullivan is working his way down the ladder of success. Divorced and pushing fifty, his relationships have the longevity of a fruit fly. But how many men can get themselves fired and have their only son expelled from prep school all in one day? Now, after almost eighteen years, he and Jake may finally get to know each other. (That's if his ex-wife—the super-achiever Sammy can only dream of being—doesn't find out.) Jake knows virtually nothing about his roots. So, Sammy shows him the old neighborhood in the far reaches of Queens. But it's been thirty years. The older woman Sammy lost his virginity to now uses a walker to get around. Most of his hangouts are long gone. It's dreary, born-to-lose stuff. But Jake is on a mission. Wise beyond his (and his dad's) years, he doesn't want his father to miss out the second time around on the good things he blew the first time. And they've got a whole weekend together—a journey where Sammy will confront his, dysfunctional childhood and Jake will face a past he never knew he had.

This isn't your typical father-son story—one is still growing up. The other is his son.

In the tradition of Tom Perotta, Carillo explores the strength of the family bond, the power of forgiveness, and the hope that comes from embracing second chances truthful, and hilarious. —Alison Grambs, author of The Smart Girls Guide toGetting Even

I don't like funny, touching novels because they make me wish I'd written them myself. I enjoyed Charlie Carillo's book from beginning to end and now I'm miserable. —Sherwood Kiraly, author of Diminished Capacity

A literary romp through the minefields of a totally normal, and totally abnormal, family I actually laughed out loud and kept turning the pages to make absolutely sure that all worked out at the end. —Cathy Lamb, author of Henry's Sisters

Scathingly hilarious and truthful. —Sally Jenkins

Queens-born Charlie Carillo, like his protagonist Sam Sullivan, worked at the New York Post as a journalist for many years. He is also the author of My Ride with Gus and divides his time between New York City and London, England, where he works as an independent television producer.

Publishers Weekly

Sammy Sullivan, a "crusty old rewrite man" at a New York City tabloid, and his teenage son embark on a weekend of male bonding in Carillo's witty, insightful second novel. After rough-edged Sammy is fired and his son, Jake, gets expelled from his elite private school, father and son, who've grown apart, decide to spend the weekend revisiting places that hold the key to Sammy's past and may shed light on Jake's future. Along the way, Sammy confronts painful memories of his religiously obsessive mother and introduces Jake to the boy's long-estranged grandfather while both try to figure out what's next. In this coming-of-age tale, there's often a question of who is parenting whom. Carillo, a former reporter for the New York Post, has an easy way with breezy prose and likable characters. (Sept.)

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