The breakout novel by Milwaukee native Mark Wisniewski is told from the point of view of two characters.
Arkansas native Jan hopes to break into a career as a horse racing jockey and Deesh is a young African-American man fleeing a crime he was a party to in New York City. You wouldn't expect their lives to intersect.
But finding out how their paths cross is one of the most rewarding aspects to this book. Watch Me Go has received critical praise from the likes of Salman Rushdie.
Wisniewski, who now lives in New York, is back in town to read from his book this evening at Boswell Book Company. But first he joined Mitch Teich in the Lake Effect studio to discuss the novel and why he picked horse racing as the setting.
"In my view it's a perfect metaphor for society," Wisniewski said. "And if you're trying to write a novel that's being empathetic and sympathetic with underdogs in society, horse racing seems like a great little portrayal of that."
