Ask the Dust

Arturo Bandini, the young writer who serves as John Fante's alter ego, is trying to make a living and a name for himself in Depression-era Los Angeles. He is an Italian-American author, and the city's Bunker Hill neighborhood forms the backdrop of his struggles.

Bandini becomes fixated on Camilla Lopez, a Mexican waitress who is elusive, teasing and unpredictable. Their turbulent affair consumes him just as his first novel seems poised to bring him success. Then Camilla suffers a nervous breakdown and disappears, and the collapse leaves Bandini ready to abandon the life of a writer altogether.

First published in 1939, this California novel is part of the Arturo Bandini series, which also includes Wait Until Spring, Bandini.