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    The Human Bobby: A Novel
    The Human Bobby: A Novel
    The Human Bobby: A Novel
    Ebook247 pages3 hours

    The Human Bobby: A Novel

    By Gabe Rotter

    5/5

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    About this ebook

    THE GRIPPING STORY OF THE UNRAVELING OF ONE MAN’S SEEMINGLY PERFECT LIFE, AND HIS STRUGGLE TO GET EVERYTHING BACK.

    A new baby, a loving wife, a solid career, a dream house in Beverly Hills: Dr. Bobby Flopkowski has it all. Until a complicated series of events snowball into a disaster that changes the course of his life forever.

    Now, with a tent on the beach as his only home and an addiction that has cut him off from everyone he once loved, Bobby has a revelation that could put him back on track: he believes he has solved the puzzling crime that led to his downfall. But as the reality he’s always known slips farther away, will he be able to convince someone—anyone—that his suspicions aren’t merely the pleas of a desperate man?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster
    Release dateAug 17, 2010
    ISBN9781439168141
    The Human Bobby: A Novel
    Author

    Gabe Rotter

    A native of New York, Gabe Rotter now permanently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. He graduated from the film school at The University of Southern California, and since has worked in television, produced a feature film, penned the novels Duck Duck Wally and The Human Bobby, published a comic book, and is currently a producer on the 2016 reboot of The X-Files on Fox. He has several of his own projects in development for film and television adaptation.

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    Reviews for The Human Bobby

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    • 5/5
      From my blogA quote by Paul Simon is the intro to the book - losing love is like a window in your heart, everybody sees you're blown apart.This book is labeled a novel but it is a fascinating tension building thriller, I highly recommend to psychological thriller fans. This is one of the best unreliable character driven books I have read. I really enjoyed reading about Dr. Bobby and how he met his lovely wife and then their charmed life together. It is amazing what a tragedy will do to a person and a relationship. If you have ever known someone you was trying to help and finally the only way was that they had to hit bottom, but watching and waiting was brutal. The tension in this book is shocking and you just say Dr. Bobby, what will it take, stop and put your life back together.Dr. Bobby's father committed suicide and left him his manuscript and a gun. Dr. Bobby lives his life just not wanting to be like his dad but in the end it all ends with the manuscript and the gun, in what way is the question,Such a thought provoking read and as it is labeled a novel you don't try to figure out the mystery. And one suspenseful part we figure out before Dr. Bobby starts solving his tragic crime but I think this adds to the dilemma.I cannot say more other than go read this. This is one I think more bloggers should read, put it on your soon to be read shelf, it deserves to push a few back down to wait longer. I do think the title doesn't draw you in and the cover doesn't help even though both are relevant. For those that have read it, what are your thoughts on a title? Mine are My Dad's Manuscript, The Manuscript and the Gun or The Manuscript Tragedy.I did go back and fourth from 4 1/2 or 5 but Goodreads and Amazon do not do half and it is much better than a 4 so a 5 it gets.Some may remember my love for The Manufactured Identity by Heath Sommer, I would categorize them the same but I still have love for TMI even after 3 years.
    • 5/5
      BOOK DESCRIPTIONWhen we first meet Dr. Bobby Flopkowski, he has been homeless for some time—living on the beach with his friend Eddie. Although “Dr. Bobby” (as he is known on the streets) has made peace with his current circumstances, things change when he sees a face from his past—a face that might be able to solve the mystery that lays at the heart of why Dr. Bobby’s life fell apart.You see, Dr. Bobby wasn’t always homeless. He once had a thriving medical practice, a gorgeous home, a beautiful wife and a son who was the joy of his life. But everything fell apart after a series of decisions snowballed into a disaster that cost Dr. Bobby everything.Determined to solve the mystery that led to his downfall, Dr. Bobby struggles to convince the world around him of the truth. But it can be difficult for man who has been living on the outskirts of society to be taken seriously. Can Dr. Bobby regain what he has lost and perhaps rebuilt his life?MY THOUGHTSOh man … this was such a good book!! Gabe Rotter does a brilliant job of bringing you into Dr. Bobby’s story. You see how each little decision slowly but inevitably led to Bobby’s downfall. You feel his desperation and his pain. You feel the urgency and panic as he realizes he might be able to solve the puzzle that has plagued him for years and to his current way of life. And then, when you’re squarely on Bobby’s side and getting ready to find the answers, Rotter pulls the rug out from under you! I love when authors build you up and then throw a plot twist at you that you never saw coming. It had the same kind of feeling I had when I watched The Sixth Sense for the first time.I don’t really want to say that much more about it so I don’t spoil anything or give too much away. Just know that this is a clever little book that will suck you in and spit you out the other side … blinking and wondering what just happened to you.
    • 4/5
      Bobby Flopowski is a man who has it all. He is a successful physician sharing a thriving pediatric practice with a good friend, has a beautiful and loving wife, and a newborn so who is the light of his life. Bobby is wealthy, attractive, and happy, but that's all about to change. When a chance encounter with an old friend begins to stir up long-forgotten emotions in Bobby, he takes a chance and invites a person into his life who is now basically a stranger. At first, the only complications seem to be his wife's unhappiness and growing unease, but after a party one night in the Flopowski home, his life is changed forever. Now Bobby is living on the street and taking shelter in a tent once meant for grander things. Carrying only the most meager of possessions, Bobby begins his life anew. But when he catches sight of a person from his now forgotten and more successful life, Bobby starts asking questions about what really happened that night and comes to find he doesn't like the answers. Now he's on a mission to take back the life he forfeited, but when he starts delving into his past, he comes up with some surprising and frightening conclusions which make hm question everything he thought he knew. In this utterly involving and nail-biting new novel, Gabe Rotter gives his readers a look into the life of a man who once had it all and watched it slowly spiral devastatingly down the drain.This is a book that I feel many people don't know about. Heck, even I had never heard of it before meeting Kathy at SIBA, where she just raved about it. Since hearing what she had to say about it, I've only read one other review, but I think it's a book that definitely needs more attention drawn to it. Not only is the plot twisting and intriguing, but Bobby was a character that a reader can really get attached to and root for.Bobby is a regular guy who has a pretty extraordinary life. He's not an egotist or a control freak. He's just a guy who has worked hard for all the advantages that he has in his life and knows how to appreciate them. Bobby is easy to sympathize with but sometimes he makes stupid decisions. In getting to know this character, I could see why he did the things he did but I didn't agree with him. I wanted to slap and shake him sometimes and force him to do things differently. He goes from the top dog to the underdog rather quickly in this tale, and though it seems that the path he should travel is pretty clear, Bobby goes in precisely the opposite direction. His frustration at the change in his life is palpable, and like a lot of people, Bobby acts rashly in trying to gain control of an uncontrollable situation.When the plot finagles it's way back into the present, we finally get a look at the new life Bobby has created for himself. He is wise and contrite, yes, but he's also a shell of the man he used to be. He lives among the homeless population eating out of trash cans and cleans himself in the showers at the beach. But through all of this, he is still fundamentally Bobby and he makes an impact in his community by befriending others and even giving a little free medical advice. This new Bobby doesn't spend a lot of time worrying about the things he can't change and he even finds a measure of peace in the life he now lives. All that begins to change when Bobby's past comes flying right into his face and the once forgotten dreams and desires come writhing up painfully for him to confront.One of the things that I liked most about this book was the immediate and visceral feel of the writing. Everything feels portentous and there's a quality of urgency in the way Rotter tells his story. I never got bored with this tale, and part of that has to do with the fact that Bobby was such an interesting guy to observe and inhabit; but the other part of it is that both the plot and the writing spin out effortlessly and kept me locked in until the final pages. There's a mix of playfulness and gravity that's impossible not to admire. In the beginning of the story things are so carefree and happy, and Bobby's charisma is out in full force, then, as things progress, the mood takes a definite downward spiral and our once funny and candid Bobby is reduced to seeming nothingness.There is a lot of this book that I have to gloss over because giving too much away would definitely ruin the story. What I can say is that this is the type of book where nothing is as it seems. People's motives are suspect, situations are not what you think they are, and Bobby is right in the middle of a big mess. The story moves back and forth in time, scanning the past and blending it with the present beautifully. When all the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place, there is shock and a new understanding of both Bobby and the world he lives in. Rotter manages to hold the incredible suspense in this novel to the very last sentence, and even then, savvy readers will wonder if this might not be the end of Bobby's journey.Gabe Rotter has another book out there called Duck, Duck, Wally, and now that I've seen what he can do, I'm itching to give that book a try as well. There's a lot to love about The Human Bobby and readers who love to get caught up in an involving tale that is both inviting and sinuous will love this book. I don't think I'll be able to forget Bobby and his strange predicament for quite some time, and I urge readers who may me unfamiliar with this book or author to give it a try and see what you think for yourself!
    • 5/5
      I went through a little bit to get this book. Emails back and forth between myself and the PR Department, both wondering if this book would even arrive to my door.I'm so glad it did.This is one of those books that seriously pulls you in, and at the end you are left with a wow feeling. My exact words were, "Holy shit!" Excuse the cuss, but it's exact. It was that amazing to read!Just when I thought I knew everything going on, the suspense would shift to a new thing, and man, it worked every time.Kudos, Gabe! You're my new literary hero! Very cleverly written!Definitely a strong recommendation from me, and now a new favorite!
    • 5/5
      From My Blog...Deeply compelling, dark and raw, The Human Bobby by Gabe Rotter is a work of pure genius. Every now and again I come across a novel that gives me pause, makes me stop and think and question what I have read and to question myself. Rotter masterfully weaves together a story that will give any reader pause to question, to laugh, to hope, and question more through the brilliantly crafted characters, especially Bobby and his friend Eddie. The story begins with Bobby being homeless, living in a tent on the beach with Eddie. The reader learns through Bobby about Ava, their baby Jack, Bobby’s medical partner, Dicky, the mystery surrounding the abduction of Jack and the spiraling down of Bobby’s life. The Human Bobby asks the reader to determine what is real what is not and begs one to ponder how one can truly know what is real. I expect such richly crafted novels from Russian authors, in this instance Nabokov’s Invitation to a Beheading comes to mind, and I am pleased to have been introduced to Gabe Trotter and look forward to his other works. Without reservation I recommend The Human Bobby, a very fast-paced and intense read, to individuals and discussion groups.

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    The Human Bobby - Gabe Rotter

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