Frank and Me: A Novel of Generations
Emilio Iasiello
- After
- losing
- his
- grandfather,
- the
- last
- male
- role
- model
- in
- his
- life,
- 12-year-old
- Mike
- finds
- himself
- the
- the
- lone
- male
- in
- a
- house
- full
- of
- women
- —
- an
- absent
- mother,
- a
- financially-strapped
- grandmother,
- and
- a
- doting
- great-grandmother.
- Without
- his
- hero
- around
- to
- guide
- him,
- Mike
- struggles
- to
- find
- his
- place
- in
- this
- first
- generation
- Italian-American
- family.That
- is,
- until
- he
- runs
- into
- his
- grandfather's
- former
- business
- partner
- and
- Connecticut's
- most
- prominent
- crime
- lord,
- Frank
- Lomanico.
- Mike
- is
- immediately
- drawn
- to
- "Uncle
- Frank"
- and
- is
- thrilled
- when
- his
- grandmother
- arranges
- for
- them
- to
- spend
- more
- time
- together
- despite
- his
- mother's
- arguments.
- Frank
- takes
- Mike
- under
- his
- wing,
- teaching
- him
- how
- to
- win
- a
- fight
- and
- how
- to
- take
- care
- of
- his
- family
- while
- sharing
- stories
- he
- never
- knew
- about
- his
- grandfather.As
- tensions
- rise
- between
- Connecticut's
- two
- crime
- families,
- Mike
- begins
- to
- question
- if
- Frank
- was
- telling
- him
- the
- truth
- about
- his
- relationship
- with
- his
- grandfather.
- When
- Mike
- learns
- that
- Frank
- and
- his
- grandmother
- share
- a
- secret
- that
- spans
- decades
- and
- even
- his
- mother
- doesn't
- know,
- Mike
- must
- decide
- whether
- or
- not
- to
- pursue
- a
- truth
- that
- threatens
- to
- not
- only
- tarnish
- his
- image
- of
- his
- grandfather,
- but
- also
- unravel
- everything
- about
- his
- family
- as
- he
- knows it.
