False alarm

By Heather Drohan and Chaim Bertman

Fiction. "STAND-UP TRAGEDIAN is the story of one man's decade-long quest to write a book. It is a coming-of-age story - not of childhood, but of the celebrated twenties, filled on the one hand with deep talks, cheap beer, and romantic notions, and on the other with doubt, dread, and despair. Read this book" - Marianna Cherry. "Bertman's eye is trained towards the subtleties of desire, anecdote, and beauty. Each slice of perception is also a metaphysical proposition, cleanly reflected in his syntax. He is an anthropologist of the awkward; he understands the human condition with the lucidity of a sleep-talking prophet" - Aaron Jai Lee. "A mature, incisive, and frequently hilarious debut, Bertman's hero is an almost ordinary guy experiencing the extraordinary: love, disappointment, emotional ambiguity, and eyes-wide-open faith" - Holly Kulak.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0887393195
• ISBN13: 9780887393198
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Creative Arts Book Company
• Length: 127 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A brilliant first novel

The first novel. Usually quite personal but rarely worth reading, these barely published authors wallow in the therapeutic aspects of writing, not realized that frankly, we don't give a damn. There's almost always some weird reverberations from broken homes, dysfunctional relationships, unavenged wrongs, or whatever self centered idea pops into their heads. Once they are done, they're empty, depleted, entirely devoid of future inspiration. Not a promising indication for a potential reader.This one is different.In a stunning tour de force, Heather has managed to transcend the expected in a brilliant premier that is evocative of the best of Ernest Hemmingway, Hunter S. Thompson, and Theodore Geisel. Digging deep into an apparently bottomless well of real-life inspiration, she brings her peculiar brand of neurotic intrigue to a penetrating exposé of the financial machinations of the super-rich, the affairs of professional athletes, and her own pyromaniacal obsession with men in uniform. And, based on the stellar reception of this initial attempt, a sequel can't be far away.

Heather Drohan - Outstanding Author

Can a professional working woman, wife, and mother of small children balance all of these responsibilities and yet still have fun? Heather Drohan certainly spins a tail of such a woman - in search of financial success, perfect abs, and a breast pump that plugs into a cigarette lighter - all this in a man's world!False Alarm, a captivating and hilarious portrait, reveals the sad truth. If you try to do it all at the same time, something is going to get shortchanged - and it's probably you.Regardless of their profession, all working women will truly appreciate this heroine's quest to be "one of the boys" and not only play in their games, but WIN.False Alarm also reminds us that if a man is threatened by a woman's intelligence, then he isn't smart enough to appreciate what makes her special. And that should surely set off alarms!

comedy in every sentence

If you enjoy laughing out loud while reading this upbeat analysis of life in present day San Franciso this novel will do the job.

Having It All - Or At Least Trying

Try balancing a high pressure career in the sports management industry with a new (second) baby. Throw in a lawyer husband who decides to become a firefighter and a charismatic football star who suddenly looks a bit too attractive. Add in therapists, a much-divorced mom and her new boyfriend and you have the life of Kate McCabe, the protagonist of False Alarm. This look at life in the nineties where people, especially women, are trying to have it all, is touching and hilarious all at the same time. The worlds of sports management, working moms, San Francisco neighborhoods and delicate marriages all come alive in this very readable book. I found it entertaining and moving. I pitied the often neurotic Kate McCabe and yet admired her courage and spunk. An immensely likeable protagonist in an immensely likeable book!