Car Trouble: A Novel

Written by Robert Rorke

Narrated by Charlie Thurston

From a bright new talent, a witty, moving, and inspirational coming-of-age debut novel set in 1970s Brooklyn about a teenager and his abusive father whose obsession with broken down vintage cars careens wildly out of control.

“Such a pleasure to read.... This is a coming of age story, but it is also so much more than that.”—Dominic Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

Nicky Flynn is coming-of-age in 1970s Brooklyn, riding into his sophomore year at St. Michaels, the last hurrah of the Diocesan school system. A budding young actor, Nicky is at once sensitive, resilient, exasperated, and keenly observant—especially when it comes to his father, Patrick. Undeniably enigmatic, and coasting on vanity, charm, and desperation, “Himself” as Nicky calls his father, is given to picking up old car junkers, for cheap at NYPD auctions—each sputtering, tail-finned treasure subsidized by poker games.

To Patrick, these chrome glamour tanks are his obsessions, repairable reminders of the past when he was young, and everything seemed new and gleaming and possible—before he had a family. For Nicky, each one is a milestone. Whether it’s a harrowing joy ride or a driving lesson, they’re unforgettable markers on his path toward an unpredictable future. But as Patrick’s compulsions slide into alcoholism and abuse, Nicky, his mother, and sisters brace themselves for an inevitable sharp turn in their addled lives.

Narrated with humor and a rueful awareness, Car Trouble is an exhilarating novel about acceptance, regret, compassion, and finding your authentic adult self amid the rubble and rumble of growing up.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Sep 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9780062876423

Robert Rorke

Robert Rorke was born and raised and lives in Brooklyn. He is a TV editor at the New York Post who has also previously written for Publishers Weekly, TV Guide, Los Angeles Times, and Seventeen. He received his MFA from Warren Wilson College and his MA in English from Stanford University.

Reviews for Car Trouble

[minacee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The themes and setting for this novel are all right there just waiting for the characters to help weave a good story. Unfortunately, I don't think this is a particularity good novel. At approximately 400 pages long, I found myself putting it down and not interested in getting back to it quickly.It's Brooklyn in the 1970's and Nicky Flynn is growing up with his four younger sisters, an alcoholic father and a mother who is barely holding everything together. At times Nicky's Dad, Patrick, can be charming with his 1950's greaser style and habit of picking up cars from that same era at police auction. But Patrick's behavior becomes increasingly violent and erratic and the whole family is held hostage by Patrick's disease. This turbulent environment leads Nicky to seek refuge in his school. Nicky is encouraged to audition for the school's musical by his hip, 20-something year-old English teacher, Brian. Nicky's peace is short-lived though as the world outside also becomes turbulent. Devastating and difficult situations would find Nicky and yet these events felt bland. As a reader, I sensed I was being told more than being shown and some heart was lost in the telling.For example: Nicky is often gardening and I don't know why. Does he like to do it? Is he trying to create beauty and order in his world? His sisters don't seem to help him so this doesn't indicate a family hobby.So there you have it: a formula. Drunk father, frustrated mother, main character child, and the child's mentor. I didn't mention the four sisters because they were non-existent for the most part. They are practically interchangeable or forgettable. There could have just been two sisters and the story would have worked. There were some typos and clunky sentences but this was an advanced copy so I hope it will get another edit before the book goes out to stores.

[mclane_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This excellent novel recounts the narrator's story of growing up in 1960's New York City, as the eldest child and only son in a (barely) middle class Irish Catholic family. Nicky Flynn is a bright, motivated, articulate teenager, with four younger sisters, a hard-working mother and a hard-drinking father (Himself). His nuclear family, as well as his extended family, are all believable, as are Nick's friends, teachers, and the other adults and peers who inhabit his life. Nick does well in school and helps to keep the family together and functioning. His life takes on new meaning when he decides to try out for the school play (Bye Bye Birdie) at St. Michael's, the all-boy high school he attends. However, his home and family life steadily deteriorates because of the actions of his increasingly unstable, alcoholic father. This novel is a pleasure to read, full of believable, relatable characters. The setting of mid-60's NYC, Catholic schools, changing neighborhoods, and family joys and sorrows is presented realistically and lovingly. Highly recommended!

[muddyboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A novel told in five cars so to speak. This is the story of a family dominated by an alcoholic father who buys old autos at police auctions. It is mainly told from the perspective of the families sole son who comes into conflict with dad (as they all did) One issue is that he wants to play the lead in the high school play Bye Bye Birdie. What I like most about the book was its realistic portrayal of the alcoholic father and how the family attempts to cope with and make up for his behavior. But, every once in a while in all his bluster dad actually helps people out. I liked the book.

[mckall08 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book. Contrary to some negative reviews here, it was well written, and moved along with an easy pace. Some say it's too long at a little over 400 pages. It held my interest. Along with it, I'm reading Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton bio. "Car Trouble" moves faster than that!!!!

[andsoitgoes_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting story of the struggles of high school boy trying to function with an alcoholic father and a mother as an enabler but also the bread winner in this novel set in NYC in the 1960's. I found it a bit formulaic but the usage of old cars made it interesting as a story mover. Would recommend to others to read.

[alliepascal-876024 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Car Trouble was a fine, somewhat tough, somewhat boring read. Took me a while to get through because nothing really grabbed me and honestly now that I finished I can't remember half of the things that happened. Its strengths are Rorke's prose and the tension surrounding Nicky's father and his slow fall into the pit of alcoholism and his resulting bad decisions. I couldn't bring myself to care about much else. The whole referring to him as "Himself" took getting used to, and I'm not sure if I see the point when he refers to him as "dad" half of time anyway.

[hoo2ask4-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Car Trouble is a coming-of-age novel about a young man in 1970s Brooklyn who must find a path through life even as his alcoholic father overshadows what he does and thinks. Vain and reckless, Nicky’s father is larger than life, dominating everything and everyone in the home. The family refers to his father as “Himself,” as though he were the king and center of all. The story is told from Nicky’s point of view, as he is caught up in the almost daily drama of wondering when his father will be home, and when he is home, how to protect his mother and sisters from a violent and unpredictable alcoholic, while pretending to all the world that that the problem doesn’t exist. Nicky sees the other side of his father as he watches him move a motorcycle victim out of the street, and he unintentionally becomes part of his father’s efforts to protect the family from what he perceives as threats from society. His father is unable to hold a job because of his alcoholism and violence, and Nicky is drawn into his father’s attempts to get back at those who he thinks have wronged him. Yet, as a young man Nicky is searching for a role model, and so he must reconcile the two sides of his father with others who care about him, such as a teacher who introduces him to acting and singing in a school play, his mother, his friends, his uncle, and the neighbor next door. The flashy cars that his father brings home from precinct auctions act as mileposts through the story; the Blue Max, the Green Hornet, the Black Beauty, and the Pink Panther. Each one is at least a decade old and discarded, yet Nicky’s father loves to drive them fast and hard. They are reminders of a time when everything was possible in his father’s life, before the world of opportunity changed into a world of work and responsibilities. He teaches Nicky how to drive, and we find that same love of flashy cars is what Nicky takes with him from his father as he ends up as a successful actor, exchanging the drama of his home with the drama of the stage. The story settings are vivid and reflect the experiences and memories of author Robert Rorke. We are drawn into a gritty and changing neighborhood scene, long car rides, and the love/hate relationship with a dominating alcoholic father. Car Trouble pulls in the reader and doesn’t let go. It’s as though we, too, are on a drive with Nicky’s father in Black Beauty or the Pink Panther, not really knowing what the next turn in the road will bring.

[rachie615 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I recieved this book through a giveaway on LibraryThing. This book is set in 1970s New York and follows Nicky as he navigates school and his home life. He deals with his father or “Himself’ (the moniker he’s given throughout the book), an alcoholic and abusive man. The story is told in what I might think as of vignettes. Each section of the book is framed by the new car that Nicky’s father has purchased, but all of these stories are linked though Nicky’s experiences. The setting, characters, and time period seemed authentic and I genuinely cared for Nicky, his family and his friends.