Finding Flipper Frank by Patrick M. Garry Shares Memorable Drama of Three Strangers... Just Out!

"I'm sorry, are you a friend of my uncle's?"
"Are you joking? Of course I am. We met at the Oakdale Easter dinner. Oh, but maybe I was introduced to you under the name by which my more familiar acquaintances address me: Izzy, Izzy Dunleavey. Does that refresh your memory?
Walt had never know his last name, but there was only Izzy. He was the aristocrat of Oakdale. Though Izzy had not been a companion or card-playing partner of his uncle, Walt recognized him every time he saw him. Not a day went by that Izzy Dunleavy did not wear a tie. He might wear only a vest  without the suit jacket. But he was never without a tie...
~~~

Walter, this is Isadore Dunleavy," the authoritative sounding voice announced. 

Walt had fallen asleep on the couch, and his mind was still foggy when he answered the telephone. He thought it would be the funeral home people' He had spent all evening making funeral and burial plans with them. But he had no idea who Isadore Dunleavey was. 

After waiting a few seconds for Walt to speak, the voice continued, though a bit more impatient in its tone. 

"You are Henry Honerman's nephew, aren't you? Have I been given the correct number?

 Yes, yes I am."

"I have proposition to discuss with you. I understand you're leaving soon for Baltimore?

..."I do hope I'm not being premature in my call, but I heard that you're leaving for Baltimore, and I'd like to visit my old home in Crawfish Bay, Marland. It's not far from Baltimore, and I'd like to arrange passage with you."

"Well, actually, Mr. Dunleavey..."

"Please, call me Izzy. as long as we'll be traveling companions, we might as well dispense with formalities...

                                                                                                  ~~~

Walt could see, in Moira's eyes, that she was trying to treat the trip as some momentous event, just as his uncle had treated it. But her effort only made Walt blush. Going to a baseball game seemed like such a trivial adolescent endeavor--and he was embarrassed that she might be thinking him superficial enough to take such an endeavor seriously."Well, it's kind of up in the air right now."

"Oh?" Moira said, her head tilting in a quizzical  posture. "Is it because of the long drive? Are you looking for somebody to travel with? she asked..."Because if you're looking looking for someone to ride with you, I'd sure like to go. I live in Baltimore and I'm ready to go home. So I could keep you company. And, of course, I'd share the expenses..."

~~

Finding Flipper Frank

By Patrick M. Garry

I have come to really look forward to novels that includes groups of strangers going on trips. Maybe because I'd like to try it!  Having read quite a few by now, I've realized, no matter the content, my emotions are always immediately involved and holding throughout the entire book. 

In this latest book just out by Patrick Garry, author of Saving Faith which I also very much enjoyed and other novels, I began smiling and crying early as Walt Honerman, who had just lost his last relative, his favorite uncle and friend, opens the book. He had been in a rest home for the last period of his life and Walt had faithfully come to visit and had become close with all the other residents.

At his funeral and afterward, Walt began to receive comments about how much his being involved there had meant to all of the residents. But he was really shocked that his uncle had talked so much about him and their early life and even that he'd been trying to get Walt to go to a ball game where they thought Cal Ripken would be making a new record... Walt really had never planned to go on the trip--he had just shared the dream with his uncle as he had grown worse. But now that he had two requests for rides--actually, he was a little concerned about spending a lot of time with Izzy--but he acknowledged to himself that he wouldn't mind getting to know Moira better. And so, Walt decided to just go ahead since he already had vacation scheduled...

Izzy was known to have some problems with memory, but Walt didn't know exactly what the issue was. What he did know and what he found out even more when Izzy climbed into his two-door car was that there were probably going to be problems. For instance, the residents of the rest home had made baked goods for them to eat while they traveled. but they had to go into the small back seat with Izzy who quickly complained. Moira quickly became the peacemaker and took all of the packages and placed them all around her feet. 

But when Moira then  wanted to open the window, she got the complaint that Izzy couldn't breathe with so much wind... Of course, she wasn't too happy when they finally negotiated for her to have the window down about an inch... And so the trip began... Waltz and Moira began to share more and more, especially Walt who had a secret past that had prevented him from approaching her in the way he really wanted to...But Moira got him passed those thoughts...LOL

One of the interesting stories Izzy had told anybody who would listen was that he had once owned a famous resort there in Crawfish Bay, Maryland and even had Danny Caron there when he was just starting out and started humming "Guiness and Gumbo...." Later they met a woman with whom he'd told the same story, and had come to the Bay because she'd been offered a job!

The trip to Maryland was fun to read and we learn more about the characters. But when they reach The Bay and started looking for his old partner, they not only quickly learned quite a different story, but that Izzy was wanted for stealing money from his partner! He was immediately put in jail! One more thing I'll share is that his partner finally went to see him in jail and they made up, even though the charges couldn't automatically be dropped. Now's the time to ensure you have kleenex handy... cause you're going to need them big-time. I'll not go further but the way I've added to the story does give hints if you have background knowledge...
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Patrick Garry has such a wonderful story telling voice. He takes subjects that are important issues in many of our own lives, then he imagines the things that might have happened to those lives which would affect what type of individual they will become... And somehow, when you hear the story you can even picture, as I did, what those people would be like to see, hear and embrace as another human with whom we might possibly be friends. Of course, Walter and Moira would have been the main characters, but Izzy?

You wouldn't have had a story if Izzy had not been the third individual in this human triangle. I would have liked to meet Izzy and be that woman with whom he spent a few hours with that one night... As I find myself having memory lapses and can remember the very first one, when I was still working and in a meeting, my mind went blank. I was scared that time, but since then, you just become sad...sad that human bodies begin to deteriorate and sometimes we don't even realize it. Izzy didn't, but once in a while he would stop in the middle of a sentence and just stare, maybe deciding to go to sleep or just to cover that he had no idea what he had been talking about... It is important for younger people to realize what may happen and to be prepared to be ready to help such individuals. Izzy forgot that one night... Don't let a friend of yours not have help if and when that might happen.

Thank you Patrick, for this funny, heartwarming yet heartbreaking story. Not only is it a memorable drama of the human condition, but one that will strike different ways to the many readers you will undoubtedly have for this wonderful book! Highly recommended!


GABixlerReviews

Patrick Garry is a law professor with a Ph.D. in Constitutional History. He has written twelve books in the areas of law, history, politics and religion. Those books have received numerous awards and have been featured in hundreds of media interviews, academic conferences, and book reviews. His general audience books have alone been the subject of dozens of radio and television news programs.

In addition to his works of nonfiction, he has also published eight highly acclaimed books of fiction. Garry’s novels have not only been reviewed by scores of professional book reviewers, but they have also been given twenty-one different literary awards.

As his writings have grown in prominence and popularity, Garry has become a frequently invited speaker nationwide. He has been invited to speak at 120 law schools and universities across the country, and many of those on more than one occasion. He has been interviewed by numerous magazines and newspapers, and he has appeared on more than 80 television and radio programs. These media interviews focus not only on his books, but also on his social commentary, which has appeared in numerous newspapers and internet news sites.

Professor Garry was recently asked to discuss and analyze the arguments presented in the case of Wood v. Moss. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in this case on March 26, 2014. The podcast, in which Professor Garry provides commentary on those arguments, can be accessed at Wood v. Moss – Post-Argument SCOTUScast.
I took a little license and added music that is not in the book, but the star started in the same location... Also, stars of Love Story and Odd Couple were who came to mind as I read the characters...Hope you remember those stories as I do!

Patrick Garry's Hospital Drama Leads to Murder!

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~orphanshome/pictures/belmont29.htm

"Up until I was ten years old, movie nights were what I looked forward to the most. I guess it was the one activity I could do along with everyone else. It was the one thing you could do from an oxygen tent just as well as from a chair.

"Up until I was ten years old, I was pretty much confined to the oxygen tent that hunt over my bed. The doctor who worked part-time at the orphanage diagnosed me with a rare kind of asthma--I had uncontrollable coughing spells when I was real little. But then, one day when a substitute nurse was taking over for Sister Cecelia, who had gone home for her father's funeral, no one ever checked the oxygen in my tank. By the time someone noticed that it was empty, they figured I had gone at least thirty-six hours without any oxygen. That when they began wondering if maybe old Dr. Luedtke had been wrong. He'd been wrong lots of times before, but apparently he was the only doctor the nuns could afford.

"In a way though, I figured Dr. Leudike did me a big favor. In my mind, the worst part about being an orphan was lining up for inspection on those days when prospective parents came to visit. There was all that expectation, and then all that disappointment. From behind the cloudy plastic of my oxygen tent, I could see the curtains of gloom drop over the faces of my fellow orphans as they were passed over. I could hear all the angry outbursts after the couple had left, empty-handed. But I was lucky, I never felt any disappointment. I knew, from the very beginning, that no one would want an oxygen tent in their home...

~~~

Saving Faith

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE 2013 PAPER EDITION.

By Patrick M. Garry

With a building on the front cover, Patrick Garry doesn't give us much of a clue as to what his book will provide us. And the title doesn't really provide much more, does it? Sure, Faith is a central character, except she won't say a word... She's been unconscious for five years. Faith Powers is a name that was given to her as an unidentified patient soon after she was brought into the Good Shepherd Hospital...

A hospital which through "the possibility of some sinister conspiracy is going to be shutdown" and destroyed... In fact, most of the hospital has been evacuated, except for the wing that holds the elderly and those who are in comas of some length...

Obviously, you will quickly realize that one of the easiest ways to vacate many of them would be through pulling the plugs on the machines that are keeping them alive...

"I'm afraid I'm not making myself clear,
Mr. Sorin. You see, I work for a car dealer,
and I mistook your car for another one just
like it that I was supposed to tow. I'm sorry
and I'll make sure you get your car back.
But we can't do it until tomorrow, because
we've got to go over to the courthouse and..."
"Are you serious?"
"I'm afraid so."
"You sure as hell say 'afraid' a lot. But you're
not bullshittin' me. You just towed the damn
thing by accident? Out of every green Saturn 
in this damn city, you picked out mine to
accidentally tow?"
"And then he turned back to his beer. His
sardonic smirk had turned into a full-blown
laugh. "It figures. I just figures. Well sit
down," he said. "It's not every day that fate
makes a personal appearance. Come on, I'll
buy you a beer."
"I'm Ev Sorin," he said, after the bartender
had retreated to the taps...
"Not exactly, I'm a journalist--or was. Now,
I'm...well, I guess I'm a cameraman, working
on the weakest excuse for journalism that
I've..." But whatever he said after that was 
lost in the bottle that had moved back to his
mouth..."
~~~

And that's how it all got started. Jack
made a mistake and, for the first time ever,
the car owner had laughed and offered 
him a drink! For a loner orphan, a man
without any friends, he not only said yes 
but then Jack grew attached to him quickly...

The next day after they had met, Ev and Jack
sat waiting for their own case and listened 
while Irene Valenza and Clare Hammond 
were presenting on Faith Powers' life. As legal
cases are prone to do, it was being blown out of
proportion that they were trying to stop the 
demolition of the hospital...

Ev was carefully listening--he saw a potential 
"David-and-Goliath story: a nurse trying to stop 
the demolition of a hospital, trying to stop some
big corporate development just to save the life 
of an unknown patient."

These four individuals soon start meeting in

Faith's room. For me, this was strange, 

but it seemed that each developed some type of 

relationship with Faith--or perhaps it was just 

that they had found friends, companionship, and

a common cause. Ev had lost both his wife and 

job and saw the story as a possible return to 

work...And little by little, pieces of information

began to be discovered and put together.

Then the woman who was going to use the 

vacated property was shot in a drive-by and

while the police was working on finding the

killer, Ev and Jack started a totally different 

I was reminded of Dean Koontz' Odd Thomas
novels by this book. There is hidden meaning 
that readers will enjoy as they see characters
interaction, but you all know that I love a good
murder mystery, so my interest increased as
the action started...


GABixlerReviews

And that's the dilemma...Who speaks for Faith?

Except, a motley small group has taken up her cause...

Jack Fenian narrates the story, which creates the most intriguing part of the novel, in my opinion. Jack spent his entire life in an orphanage, having never even been considered for adoption since he had been placed under an oxygen tent when he was just 10. He watched everything and had ample time to think about things. At first you may think he's a bit simple with no or little education or experience. You will find you are wrong later...

But his experience in the orphanage has indeed limited his worldly knowledge, so interacting with others outside of the orphanage, which he left just 2 years ago, has become challenging as he tries to respond to the emotional displays he experiences. Interestingly, he has a job as a repossessor of cars, so he has quickly met anger, frustration and fear of those he serves...

"What the...the man had screamed, as he was running out of his
office, across the small parking lot to where I was watching the
tow truck driver hook up the black Ford Explorer. I could see his
co-workers staring out the window. I knew they were his
co-workers--it was all in the file."
"What I could never figure out was why people were so quick to
humiliate themselves. I had towed cars from the parking lot
of wedding receptions and Thanksgiving dinners and family
reunions, and every single time the owner made a huge scene. If
it were me, I'd just pretend that I didn't see anything, and then
I'd either take a cab home or claim that my car had been stolen.
But I wouldn't humiliate myself in front of all those people I
know. Especially since it'd be futile anyway. The thing about used
car dealers who have sales lots in the not-so-good areas of town:
they never renegotiate on the repossession...
"Tow truck drivers were always huge; I guess it was a job
qualification...
~~~

"Hold on a sec," she interjected. "It's really not my aim to save 

Good Shepherd Hospital. I mean, it's already been sold; and most of the patients and staff have been moved out." Irene seemed defensive, as if she didn't want to be told one more time that her lawsuit was crazy. "I guess I was just hoping that we might force some kind of compromise, one that wouldd give me control over the future medical care of Faith. But I'd love it if you'd do a story, we could use some public sympathy..."

~~~

investigation! Jack finds himself very attracted to Ev's ex-wife who quickly takes advantage and he finds himself believing  her rather than Ev... At the same time, Claire is also interacting as if there could be something--but then pulls completely away as if he misunderstood. The interplay between Jack and these two women fascinated me. Jack had no previous relationships other than with nuns and other orphans. The two women were very experienced but in totally different ways. The amazing thing was that Jack felt no real negative emotion in response to each--he was so indoctrinated to being rejected that he allowed hurt to fall away, rather than dwell on it...

But the intrigue comes from the characters. This unique look into the "why" of caring, of putting the life of another as a driving force in your own life reveals much about ourselves. Would you help?

Only you know... Highly recommended for many reasons.

Patrick Garry teaches at the University of South Dakota. His previous novels have won numerous awards, including a National Best Book Award, the Eric Hoffer Literary Award, and the Jack Eadon Best Novel Award.