Where Tony Went Wrong

Where Tony Went Wrong

Bruce Von Stiers

Tony Mazza is a guy who never seems to get out of his own way. He's mishandled so many of life's opportunities. So, he's kind of a loser. But can Tony find his way on the path to make himself a better person? Not unless he can quit doing stupid stuff like stealing an ambulance.

Tony is the lead character and narrator of the novel, Where I Went Wrong. It was written by David Galef, whose previous works include the novel Flesh and the short story collection, My Date With Neanderthal Woman. The novel was published by Regal House Publishing.

Tony has been married. He has two children, teenagers named Mike and Sarah. Only Sarah prefers to be called Sara. And Mike, well he has an attitude. Tony's ex, Kelly, also has some attitude. But with Tony, it's well deserved. He can't seem to hold onto a job for long.

Tony's job history would make any employment manager cringe. He's worked at IHOP, a bike shop, sold real estate and a few questionable jobs. His latest gig as a hospital orderly was supposed to be a good thing. And it was okay. Until he gets high, steals an ambulance and gets into a wreck. And now he faces criminal charges as well as having lost his job at the hospital.

Tony's story starts out in the year 2000. This is where the reader gets introduced to Tony and learns about his current situation. The story moves through different years, with Tony describing various things that go wrong in his life. And at numerous places in his narrative, Tony laments on a certain circumstance and perhaps that's “where I went wrong.”

Throughout his narrative, there is Tony's friend Sandy. A bit older than Tony, Sandy is the cool kid with all the angles. He sort of takes Tony under his wing. But Sandy is more of a bad influence on Tony than a good one.

There are incidents with Tony's parents. Mom is kind of subservient, but only a bit. Dad is overbearing at times and is a skirt chaser. That causes problems between the parents and for Tony as well.

There is also Tony's sister Angela. It seems she disappeared when she was a little girl and was never found. Tony references Angela at different times in the book. And near the end of the book we learn a bit more about how Angela disappeared.

At each mention of Angela, I felt there was some kind of undercurrent. Like, maybe Tony knew more about his sister's disappearance than he was saying. Possibly, he might have had something to do with her being gone. And that could be that his guilt was so great that he created this unworthiness for himself that caused him to fail in life.

Reading this novel made me reflect on a few things in my own life. Growing up, and even into early adulthood, I had someone in my life who was a bit like Sandy. That is, a bad influence on me. Hanging with him, I got into a few things that I wouldn't have otherwise. And quite a few things on my own. But, unlike Tony, when people tried to help me, I let them. Things finally had to come to a disastrous head for Tony to try to be on the right track.

Where I Went Wrong is an interesting narrative of someone whose self-induced misfortunes provide a bit of a cautionary tale. You might be able to sympathize with Tony, but only a little bit. We might not have been on the same path as Tony, but many of us have known people like him. And sympathy is fleeting when they won't get out of their own way.

Where I Went Wrong is available at major retailers like amazon. You can also order a copy through the Regal House Publishing website. That website is https://regalhousepublishing.com/

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