Last Call in the City of Bridges,Used

Fiction. "It was supposed to be the greatest night of our lives." It's the eve of the Obama election. Change is in the air and hope is running high. And for twentyfiveyearold, selfproclaimed cool man Michael Bishop, so is the alcohol and the bluster. Working a deadend job proofing subtitles on thirdrate videos, Michael has kept his future at bay through a stream of boozy nights or by blowing time in front of his Nintendo. That is, until he meets Ivy Chase, the smart, pretty pastor's daughter whose innocent charm takes his breath away. But Ivy turns out to be much more than Michael bargained for, and in a moment that surprises even him, he makes the decision of his life. Smart, funny, poignant, and very, very timely, LAST CALL IN THE CITY OF BRIDGES is a Bright Lights, Big City for the new millennium. With its memorable characters and unforgettable scenes, this insightful look into twentyfirstcentury America is a book you won't want to put down."Like his post pomo Facebook generation, Michael Bishop, the manic narrator of LAST CALL IN THE CITY OF BRIDGES, has reached the end of his irresponsible youth. Stuck and unsure, he looks back at those eightbit Nintendo years with tender nostalgia while trying to feel his way forward. Like The Moviegoer, Salvatore Pane's debut novel is a romantic ironist's plea for authenticity in a fantastic age. It's tellingand hilariousthat his hero's model for male adulthood isn't William Holden but Super Mario."Stewart O'Nan"Quite obviously, Salvatore Pane's mind has been dunked in video games, social media, comic books, the WebNet, and everything else our august literary authorities believe promote illiteracy. I'd like to hand the authorities Pane's novela funny, moving, melancholy, sad, and immensely literate book about what being young and confused feels like these daysand tell them, 'See? Things are going to be fine!'"Tom Bissell"LAST CALL IN THE CITY OF BRIDGES is Goodbye, Columbus 2.0, a poignant novel about looking for something real in a plastic world where Irony is Everything. This generational anthem is ultimately, despite all the 21st century detritus, an oldfashioned page turner, full of old verities and truths of the heart. Salvatore Pane's voice is both new and necessary, one I know I'll be reading for years to come."Cathy Day"Like the comic book heroes he obsesses over, Michael Bishop has an origin story, the story of the first wound that makes his powers necessaryand in LAST CALL IN THE CITY OF BRIDGES, Michael at last faces into that tragedy, resurfacing suddenly at the midpoint of his twenties, those years of snark and expectation spent proofreading DVD subtitles, drinking literaturethemed cocktails, and pining over preacher's daughters and college crushes. In this witty and charming debut, Salvatore Pane reminds us that while you can't retcon your past, you can perhaps learn to live up to its responsibilities, by using your powers not necessarily to save the ones you love from loss, but to care for those left behind in its wake."Matt Bell