Barry Divola’s Driving Stevie Fracasso is a Rollicking, Music-Infused Road Trip Novel

Two estranged brothers, one stolen car and a road trip from Texas to New York. What could possibly go wrong? For fans of Nick Hornby, David Nicholls and Jonathan Tropper.

Jaded music journalist Rick McLennan knows his life is going south when he loses his job, his apartment and his long-term girlfriend all on the same day. But then he is thrown a lifeline – a commission to write the story of his ex-rock-star brother, Stevie, and drive him from Austin, Texas, to New York to play one final gig. One small problem: the brothers haven’t spoken in thirty years.

Rick knows it’s a bad idea. But he’s out of options. So he gets behind the wheel of a beaten-up 1985 Nissan Stanza and drives towards his destiny. He’s about to find everything he didn’t know he was missing. It’s September 2001.

From award-winning journalist and author Barry Divola comes a glorious, music-infused, rollicking road trip novel – think High Fidelity meets The Big Lebowski meets The Darjeeling Limited. Having previously worked as a music critic for the likes of Rolling Stone and Who, in addition to writing several children’s books and award-winning short stories, this is Divola’s first novel – and it’s a cracker. I absolutely adored this book. In fact, I practically inhaled it. It’s a smart, funny and wholly endearing story about how we may at times lose ourselves along the way, but the road always leads back to family and the things that bring us joy.

Set on the road and in the seedy streets and dive bars of New York city, Driving Stevie Fracasso follows forty-year-old, down-and-out music journalist Rick McLennan, exploring his relationship with his legendary, rock-star big brother Stevie Fracasso.

Rick makes for a very engaging protagonist; Once a wide-eyed and hopeful writer with big dreams of making it in New York, he’s now a sad, cynical middle-aged version of his former self who can’t quite seem to catch a break from the lousy hand life’s been dealing him. He’s also incredibly funny and startling honest, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the shenanigans he and his brother find themselves in. It is a hilarious, heartfelt and wildly entertaining road trip that will have you feeling nostalgic for the good-old-days of rock-n-roll and mix tapes.

Witty, intelligent and pulsing with music, Driving Stevie Fracasso is an enthralling page-turner, perfect for fans of Almost Famous. And what’s more, HarperCollins has even added its own epic Driving Stevie Fracasso playlist to Spotify for you to enjoy once you’ve finished binge-reading it.