Advance Praise for Call Me When You Land

"Schiavone is at his best in the tense scenes between mother and son; his use of halting staccato dialogue precisely captures the wall of pain that divides them. Schiavone is adept, too, in depicting the violent action of the hockey match, the screech of the skates on the ice, the crack of the helmets of the young combatants, the parents’ raucous taunts. The novel’s grace notes - a scene midway through in which C.J. apologizes to the little girl who was hit by his hockey stick, and the final scene, in which Katie and her son welcome two changes that bode well for their future - provide welcome relief from the narrative’s core of darkness."

—The Boston Globe

“The subject matter of Call Me When You Land might seem dark and depressing, but it’s not. It’s funny and human and real. The author writes his characters so well that he makes you want to reach out and shake some sense into them as they struggle with day-to-day crap. Michael Schiavone’s novel will cause you to wince and laugh and—if you have a beating heart—actually shed a tear here and there as you follow this bumpy family drama.”

—New York Journal of Books

“Call Me When You Land is a superlative debut about my favorite topics: identity, motherhood, troubled families struggling toward repair, possible redemption from unlikely sources. Schiavone is a talent to watch."

—Jenna Blum, NY Times Bestelling author of Those Who Save Us and The Stormchasers (One of Oprah readers' 30 Favorite Women Writers)

"The powerful examination of addiction and the toll it takes on a family is beautifully written, with characters who are as real as the next-door neighbors. Schiavone makes the reader care about Katie and C.J. without making excuses for them. Like Roddy Doyle's Paula Spencer, Amy Koppelman's I Smile Back, and so many other novels that limn alcoholism, from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Peter Benchley, this novel depicts people who have lost control. Readers unafraid of reading about families falling to the bottom and don't mind a stream of four-letter words will enjoy this novel of descent and tentative redemption."

—Library Journal (A Starred Review)

"In the hands of a lesser writer, Katie's slow slide from functional to dysfunctional alcoholism would have been a tedious study of failure; her son's bottled rage escaping in destructive bursts, a tired plot of teenage angst. Schiavone's writing, however, contains the relentless power of the cold Atlantic Ocean. His characters drown in wave after wave of unvoiced pain because they know those around them "wouldn't care to hear that it was the so-called scoundrels who suffered most." And yet, the "insignificant details" belie the depths to which Schiavone writes."

—Joseph Thompson, Foreword Book Reviews

"An artfully crafted story by a very talented writer, this is an intriguing and engaging look at the darker side of family life in modern America. I predict this writer's first novel will be a hit with readers, and look forward to seeing more of his work. If this book is any indication, there are great things ahead for Michael Schiavone!"

—gather.com

"...offers a warm reminder that family can weather dramatic problems given patience and time."

—Publishers Weekly

“Schiavone’s tightly-wrought debut pitches a wounded family toward the edge of oblivion. These characters are misfits in the way we all are, and the novel peels away their fragile defenses to reveal the frail, the human, the comic, and the heartbreaking—all with the compassion of a writer who sees without blinking. Call Me When You Land reads with uncanny lightness yet resonates with dark secrets. And Schiavone is just getting started.”

“Early in Call Me When You Land a character says, 'This is an important year in our lives….we’ve all got to be careful.' And then author Michael Schiavone goes on to write a compelling family drama of daring carelessness that captivated me from beginning to end."

"Schiavone spins a heartbreaking tale of alcohol, drugs and self-destruction. What this author does so well is build a framework, revealing pieces of the characters’ backgrounds in digestible amounts. Just when I thought I knew a character, the author dug deeper. There was rarely a wasted word, and that’s the highest compliment I can give as a reader. Beautifully written and well-edited, the author reels you in with methodical care. There is no time to come up for air, and you don’t want to. It’s gripping and real, but there’s hope. Lesser characters would have been crushed by their circumstances, but Schiavone gives his an impressive strength to endure. I highly recommend adding this book to your must-read list. I only wish I could borrow Schiavone’s mastery of language long enough to compel you to read Call Me When You Land."

"A beautiful novel that delves deeply into the wounded psyche of a single mother struggling to make ends meet, Michael Schiavone’s Call Me When You Land tells of a fractured year in the lives of Katie Olmstead, her teenage son C.J., elderly Uncle Walt and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Katie’s brief success as a local artist seems as doomed as her relationship with her son, and the drink she uses to build herself up is slowly tearing her down. But sometimes it’s tearing down illusions that leads to truth underneath, and human care and love are powerful truths beneath this tale. The New England coast, with its squalls and dangers, wild waters and decay, is beautifully described, making a perfect backdrop to a life so worn and weary as time rolls by."
—Sheila Deeth

“Call Me When You Land offers an unforgettable portrait of a turbulent relationship between a single mother and her teenage son. How this male writer captures so perfectly the workings of the female mind is a stunning achievement. Finally, I was gripped by the emotional honesty that is the hallmark of Mr. Schiavone's remarkable debut novel.”