Buffalo Poker

Buffalo Poker follows the life of Charles as he starts as a young boy growing into a man. Everything starts with moving into a blue collar area in Buffalo, New York, and how they survived. We are treated to descriptions of the area and house, as well as the factories that are nearby, including one that makes glue and had schoolkids come through for a field trip. As time goes by, we watch as he leaves the family home in Buffalo, ends up in a hospital, meets different people, ends up in travels around as a salesman, moving to San Francisco, starting his own family, and then fighting to keep it together.

Thomas Chimera takes a great approach to writing Buffalo Poker, it feels as though you are sitting down at a table across from Charles listening as he shares the story of his life. The story draws you in page after page, and I could not put the book down, fascinated to see where life takes the protagonist. There were parts that were funny, others that left you feeling nothing but pity for the main characters, and even some people that just make you wish someone would smack them.

Now, my only major issue with this novel is that I wish it had been longer. There were parts that felt as though they did not get nearly as much attention as others, and I wish that there had been more. However, with that being said, the story carries you from one page to the next in such a fantastic way that you will not be able to put it down. All in all, this was a great read, and I look forward to reading more work by Mr. Chimera. Pick up this book if you want a story that will draw you in, keeps you interested, and treats you to a very unique story.