Buy Online at:
Also Available At These Local Philly Area Book Stores:
- The Head & The Hand in Fishtown
- Capricorn Books in Jenkintown
Summary:
Before smartphones could track them, kids disappeared into the neighborhood until dinner.
In the quiet Philadelphia suburb of Oreland, Garvey Nolan and his friends spend their childhood racing bikes across town, sneaking onto a private golf course, and testing how far they can push the limits without getting caught. Their parents believe they are safe. After all, everyone knows everyone, and men like Kratz Kova are considered pillars of the community.
Wealthy, admired, and generous in public, Kova is a local golf pro and philanthropist with a sinister private life. As his interest in Garvey becomes increasingly disturbing, the places that once represented freedom begin to feel dangerous. The golf course is no longer just a playground. A yellow sports car is no longer simply passing by. And the adults Garvey trusts cannot see the threat hiding in plain sight.
As innocent pranks escalate into vandalism, trespassing, and betrayal, Garvey finds himself caught between loyalty to his friends and the uneasy voice telling him they have gone too far. His bond with Emma O’Sullivan offers the possibility of another life, while music becomes the one force capable of guiding him through fear, guilt, and the painful end of childhood.
Spanning 1978 to 1993, Be Home By Dinner follows the last generation of children who could vanish for hours without a phone, a camera, or an app recording where they went, and who they encountered along the way.
A dark coming-of-age suspense novel about friendship, first love, dangerous mischief, and the monsters who thrive when no one is watching.
In the sleepy Philly suburb of Oreland, a Catholic schoolboy, Garvey Nolan, befriends locals and becomes smitten with his neighbor, Emma O’Sullivan. Amongst his peers, innocent pranks escalate. Garvey embraces vandalism and trespassing with reluctance, sacrificing morality for bonded friendships. The boys explore towns by bike and car, void of their parents, with the sole covenant of returning home for dinner. A nearby private golf course becomes the ultimate playground and hideout, a stage for mischief that blurs into malice.
Meanwhile, an area plastics tycoon, philanthropist and golf pro, Kratz Kova, weaves a sinister presence through Garvey’s life. Kova’s dark intentions are revealed to Garvey and progress as he enters manhood. Influenced by the healing power of music, Garvey strives to end what he has become, at the risk of losing his brotherhood. He craves an escape from Oreland with Emma, far from the stranglehold of Kova. But can he truly break free?
Taking place from 1978 through 1993, Be Home By Dinner explores a last generation of kids that grew up without ubiquitous internet access. Void of smart phones and streaming content, they existed without daily photo capturing and social media posturing, roaming free unbeknownst to their parents, with no app to track their footsteps.
Themes:
Be Home By Dinner questions whether misbehavior (and the mischief of mankind) is a perpetual need that can’t be severed after childhood. It also wonders what constitutes it going too far, from innocent pranks to peer pressure inducing exploitation that transcends adulthood.
It explores a last generation of kids to grow up without ubiquitous internet access. Void of smart phones and surveillance cameras, they roamed free. No app tracked their footsteps. Communicative technology was a pay phone and the monsters of mankind lingered — difficult to prove.
Trailers:
Sample Chapters:
Book Launch:
Self Publishing:
Other Covers:
Advertisements
