Emil DeAndreis – Tell Us When to Go

In-person author event hosted at Book Passage, Corte Madera

The post-recession Bay Area is a land fertile for world-changers and dreamers.

This is the setting for Tell Us When To Go, a millennial coming-of-age story, part Silicon Valley satire and part urgent glimpse into the darker sides of privilege, troll culture, and class disparity. It asks the question, what comes of a friendship, or a city, with so much splitting it apart? Can it be saved?

Cole Gallegos is the ace of his college pitching staff, projected to make millions in the big leagues. But a ruthless case of “yips” leads him to break down and drop out of college.

Cole’s teammate Isaac Moss is a wallflower who lacks direction and independence, so he follows Cole to San Francisco, where they rent a dingy apartment and attempt adult lives.

Desperate for a job, Cole is hired by Seaside High to work one-on-one with foster youth Dizzy Benson, who is one strike from getting expelled. The two do not vibe, to say the least. Days are turbulent with standoffs and threats. But their disconnect is not without humor, and with time their grudges against the world clumsily unite them.

Meanwhile Isaac is hired as a temp at a growing startup in Silicon Valley, where he enjoys breakrooms with hammocks, and teambuilding beer-tastings. Through this, he begins to gel with this fast paced and vibrant workforce that’s begun to sweep through San Francisco. For once, he feels confident, even cool.

With such different days and perspectives, Cole and Isaac begin to diverge, much like the city itself. Told across one semester, Tell Us When To Go explores a city amid change, and the people and friendships that are liable to change with it.

Emil DeAndreis has two prior books, Beyond Folly and Hard To Grip. His fiction has appeared in StoryQuarterly, The Barcelona Review and more.  He teaches English at College of San Mateo, and lives in the Bay Area with his wife and son.