The Human Bobby: A Novel

The Human Bobby: A Novel

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? From the author of the clever and funny Duck Duck Wally (2007) comes a slightly less clever and funny novel about a physician who loses everything—wife, baby, home, career, dignity. But it’s not really his fault. Bobby Flopkowski is a victim of circumstances: an old girlfriend pops up, and soon, without Bobby’s being entirely sure how, she’s living in his house. It all goes downhill from there (among other things, his son is kidnapped and his wife catches him in an innocent kiss with the old flame), and suddenly Bobby is living in a tent on the beach, wondering what else could possibly go wrong. That’s all prologue to the main story, which involves Bobby’s pursuit of his son’s kidnapper; but it takes up nearly two-thirds of the book. The story of Bobby trying to get his son and his life back is fast paced and entertaining, but many readers may wonder why the author spent so much time on the setup and so little on the payoff. An oddly constructed novel, but an oddly endearing one, too, with a protagonist you can’t help rooting for. --David Pitt “Gabe Rotter is a clever storyteller and a smart one, too.” —Chris Carter, writer and creator of “The X-Files” “I thoroughly enjoyed the hilarious, original, and very strange Duck Duck Wally . Gabe Rotter is hugely talented.” —Lisa Lutz, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellman Files and The Spellmans Strike Back “I thought I was funny. But after reading Duck Duck Wally I’m not funny at all. Gabe Rotter is.” —Chuck Barris, author of The Big Question and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind “ Duck Duck Wally brilliantly exploits the absurdities of modern pop culture. Rotter’s menagerie of oddball characters will have readers hooked from page one.” —Brad Listi, author of Attention.Deficit.Disorder 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.