Till the Wheels Fall Off

De: Brad Zellar

Narrado por: Graham Halstead

From roller rinks and record players to coin-operated condom dispensers and small-town mobsters, Till the Wheels Fall Off is a novel about an unconventional childhood among the pleasures and privations of the pre-digital era.

It’s the late 1980s, and Matthew Carnap is awake most nights, afflicted by a potent combination of insomnia and undiagnosed ADHD. Sometimes he gazes out his bedroom window into the dark; sometimes he wanders the streets of his small Southern Minnesota town. But more often than not, he crosses the hall into his stepfather Russ’ roller rink to spend the sleepless hours lost in music. Russ’s record collection is as eclectic as it is extensive, and he and Matthew bond over discovering new tunes and spinning perfect skate mixes. Then Matthew’s mother divorces Russ; they move; the roller rink closes; the 21st century arrives. Years later, an isolated, restless Matthew moves back to his hometown. From an unusual apartment in the press box of the high school football stadium, he searches his memories, looking for something that might reconnect him with Russ.

With humor and empathy, Brad Zellar (House of Coates) returns with a discursive, lo-fi novel about rural Midwestern life, nostalgia, neurodiversity, masculinity, and family.

©2022 Brad Zellar (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Characterization of Russ

I love the Russ the step father and roller rink guru. The description of his gait and physical presence really created great images for me. I love the references to the music scene as well. Music was always a fantastic escape in high school and still is.

Gorgeous rich book

Reminiscent of Charles Baxter’s The Feast of Love or The Goldfinch or John Williams’s Stoner. A must read for any child of the seventies or eighties.

Could have been my life

What a wonderful read/listen! The descriptions brought back some many memories. What a delight!
Thank You🙏

Brilliant internal journey in a external landscape that feeds you.

Artistic storytelling from the heart. Sad that it ended. Felt at home from the start