Peter Bonventre is a long-time journalist with a career in sportswriting and entertainment. He co-authored Howard Cosell’s I Never Played the Game. You might want to know the author’s background before picking up Where Have You Gone Without Me? It’s set in New York City as journalists who see the writing on the wall are leaving newspapers for ESPN and other TV stations. It’s also written in a brisk, journalistic style, as the protagonist associates with all kinds of colorful New York characters, from a priest to mobsters to a bookie.
Eddie Sabella is a columnist with a tabloid. newspaper His regular beat features anything interesting that Eddie can uncover. Maybe it starts with a weeping statue of St. Joseph at a local Catholic Church. Father Keller, a man savvy in the ways of Church politics, doesn’t want to deal with a miracle, so he tells Eddie that a local restaurateur donated the statue. Nick Arena, the restaurant owner, can tell Eddie all about his youth in Sicily and the reason he brought the statue to the United States,, but he doesn’t want to talk about the years he worked for the mob, running two bakeries. And, he doesn’t prepare Eddie for the appearance of Nick’s daughter, Filomena. For Eddie, Filomena, is Phyllis Blake, the love of his life who walked out of his life fifteen years earlier.
While Eddie is hopeless when it comes for his love of Filomena, he’s still plugging away at his column. He can follow a story anyplace, even circling back when the statue of St. Joseph is stolen from the church. There’s something, though, that keeps him going on his investigation as he connects it back to the stories Nick Arena won’t tell.
There’s little suspense in Where Have You Gone Without Me? However, anyone who enjoys journalists as protagonists, or enjoys following a developing story, will appreciate the style and story in the book. Bonventre knows how to write about colorful characters, and those people are the highlight of this entertaining novel.
Where Have You Gone Without Me? by Peter Bonventre. Keylight Books, 2021. ISBN 9781684426201 (hardcover), 336p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a .PDF to review for a journal.
I must admit to some confusion here…Is this some kind of recent historical, set in the 1990’s or something? Is this a print journalist on the outside of TV looking in? ESPN has been shedding jobs for years, and so has the rest of television, as cord cutting increases, and people are online more than television. Am I overthinking this?
Frankly, Glen, it’s a confusing, out-of-time book. I know newspapers, even tabloids, aren’t covering sports as they used to. In fact, this last year there hasnt’ been much sports to cover. He’s a print journalist who is watching others leave print. I don’t even remember a time frame. I just sort of fell into his stories of journalism. But, it has to be a historical piece.
ESPN is shedding long time folks who cost a lot and replacing them with younger folks who they can pay their version of minimum wage. It is the retail way of doing business. It is that time of year when those of us who watch ESPN a lot see all the new fresh faces.
As to the book, it sounds a bit weird and not really grounded to a time.
That, and some of us who loved a couple hosts on ESPN no longer watch it except for a sports event now and then.
You’re right about the book, Kevin.
the novel is set in 2006, just as newspapers and magazine were starting to lose advertisers to the internet and cutting staff. The year is referenced several times in the book. For example, the bookie notes that his son died in the 9/11 tragedy and it would soon be the fifth anniversary of the event. Plus, it’s noted on more than one occasion that the last time Eddie saw Phyllis was in 1991 and she turns up 15 years later.
Grateful for the review. And you’re right–It is at heart a story that relies on the reader’s attachment to the characters. So I’m happy you sparked to them. Grazie
Thank you, Peter. To be honest, I read the book several months ago for a review, and now I couldn’t remember the timeframe. Thanks for clarifying.