Infidelity. Architecture. Punk Rock. Clonazepam.

“Alfredo Botello, who has an eye for detail and an ear for dialogue, has somehow managed to create a new and different take on a young marriage gone wrong. It is both laugh-out-loud funny and acute in its perception. His powers as a writer of dead-on conversation remind me of Martin Amis. Read this book.”

Howard Chesley

Booker Prize nominated author of Free Marcus Katz

180 Days

What happens when what was built to last forever will be demolished in just 180 days? 

Tomas Araeta and Naomi Curran are nearing their tenth year of marriage – and on the cusp of adopting a child – when Tomas, an aspiring architect, strays with a client. Discovering the infidelity, Naomi files for divorce but learns of California’s mandatory six-month waiting period before the divorce can be finalized. 

The clock is ticking: Tomas has 180 days to win Naomi back.

 

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Reviews

Howard Chesley

"Alfredo Botello, who has an eye for detail and an ear for dialogue, has somehow managed to create a new and different take on a young marriage gone wrong. It is both laugh-out-loud funny and acute in its perception. His powers as a writer of dead-on conversation remind me of Martin Amis. Read this book."

Howard Chesley
Booker Prize nominated author of Free Marcus Katz

Mike Dirnt

“Loved it. 180 Days reads like coffee or drinks with an old friend. Smart, funny, emotional, and naughty. Filled with musical Easter eggs and authentic Bay Area details offered up in spades. It’s a painfully relatable love story that poses so many questions—and so many answers—in vivid and raw detail. Hella yes!”

Mike Dirnt
Bassist, Cofounder of Green Day

Murray Silverstein – short

"What a deep and abiding pleasure to find in Alfredo Botello’s debut novel, 180 Days, a fresh voice to love. In this story of a marriage on the rocks and the wild, desperate, at times funny struggle to save it, Botello has created a real page-turner. "

Murray Silverstein
Award-Winning Poet of Any Old Wolf, Coauthor of A Pattern Language

Elaine Szewczyk

“Screenwriter Alfredo Botello’s action-packed novel—part Bay Area love story, part punk rock anthem—is a race-against-the-clock tale that will remind readers of the profound power of redemption and second chances.”

Elaine Szewczyk
Author of I’m with Stupid

Brian Krans

180 Days is a timely, nerdy love letter to the Bay Area, long-lost-love-filled vacations staring at buildings in Barcelona, growing older, and the crushing realization that love takes work. A must-read for fans of 99 Percent Invisible and second chances.”

Brian Krans
Award-Winning Bay Area Journalist, Author of Assault Rifles and Pedophiles: An American Love Story

Ted Kissel

“A compelling and deeply insightful exploration of love, forgiveness, and self-discovery, Botello’s 180 Days skillfully delves into the complexities of human relationships, offering a raw and authentic portrayal of the challenges faced by many, making it a truly remarkable and thought-provoking read.”

Ted Kissel
Author of Betrayal in the Casbah

Greg Fields

“Alfredo Botello’s debut novel delves into themes of self, uncertainty, passion, loss, and the overwhelming need for each of us to redeem ourselves, to surmount past mistakes and reclaim who and what we really are. With an intensity that mirrors the depth of these themes, Botello’s story floats lyrically, carried by characters—Tomas and Naomi—who are memorable, vulnerable, complex, and very, very human. An outstanding and moving piece of writing that merits a spot on any library’s top shelf.”

Greg Fields
Author of Through the Waters and the Wild, 2022 Winner of the Independent Press Award for Literary Fiction

Liam Callanan

“A love letter to art, architecture, music, dreams lost and found, innovative plumbing, and, finally, love itself, 180 Days is smart, funny, and fearlessly romantic. . . . The novel’s characters may be running out of time, but Alfredo Botello’s boundless talent is just getting started.”

Liam Callanan
Author of When in Rome

AUTHOR, SCREENWRITER, ARCHITECT, BAR OWNER

Alfredo Botello

Alfredo Botello is a screenwriter who has worked on projects ranging from the indie Sundance Global Short La Revolucion De Iguodala to the studio tent pole Fast and Furious 9. He is a Fulbright Fellow in architecture and a Nicholl Fellow in screenwriting. In addition to screenplays, he has written for The San Francisco Examiner Magazine, Metropolis, Diablo, Surface, The Utne Reader, Style, The East Bay Express, and The Monthly. Botello also co-owns two dive bars in downtown Oakland, Radio Bar and the Ruby Room, and at home dotes on his two Corgis, George and Dotty.