CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART

The importance of the Outsider. Chip Rock has just aged out of the pathetic orphanage known as Boys Hall, in the comically doleful little town of No Palms on the SoCal coast. Low on luck and opportunity, Chip sets out to find a meaningful place in the world. It's no ordinary journey. Aimless and quick with bad choices, Chip wanders into a rich tapestry of characters: the grumps at the No Palms Women's Club; the nagging neighbor Rosita right across the street; the Old Town Dog, luckless fishermen, and the pretty new girl at the bank.
Never shy, Chip meets an outcast butcher named Deacon O’Dell, seemingly the complete embodiment of all Chip's lousy luck. Nonetheless, Chip and Deacon strike up a fragile friendship and strike out on an adventure of stunning hardships, but with a remote chance for rejuvenation. CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART is the story of the comic and poignant friendship between 23 year old Chip and 55 year old Deacon, and explores the glue which bind together imperfect families and flawed friendships.
Author Michael Daswick is the winner of the two distinguished literary awards from Columbia University. His inspiring work tackles epic themes of luck, loss, struggle, redemption, friendship and fatherhood. Always mixing humor with drama, Michael writes at the crossroads of sophistication and the unexpected.
Fat Old Fart blends striking settings and noble decisions that lead to unexpected results. It’s a coming-of-age saga about Chip -- and a coming-of-old-age awakening for Deacon, who strives to learn the true meaning of fatherhood. A spree of events teaches the orphan Chip how families are born not only by blood, but also through friendship, workplace, and neighborhoods. From No Palms to Mexico, their adventure and struggle brings together a vastly different collection of people, building into a desperate and very emotional ending which none of them expect.
Fat Old Fart grew out of several inter-linked short stories, always portraying the Underdog, from which author Michael Daswick won both of Columbia's prestigious literary awards: The Bennett Cerf Memorial Prize for Fiction and The Cornell Woolrich Fellowship for Creative Writing. He lives in Scottsdale with his wife Kim and family.
Fat Old Fart is the first Chip Rock novel. It's continuation, or sequel, is CHIP ROCK and the CATALINA KID. Chip’s early years at Boys Hall are chronicled in the award-winning short story collection, HALLBOYS.