The Mechanism of Chance

The Mechanism of Chance is the story of a damaged man who chooses to roll the dice. Desiderio Wechsler is 58, a retired court officer, a gambler, a loner. He has little interest in examining his own life or the lives of others. But after a series of unlikely encounters, he makes a decision that may alter the course of the rest of his life.

The Mechanism of Chance is the story of a damaged man who decides to roll the dice. Desiderio Wechsler was a baby when his mother died in an accident and his father disappeared. His mother's sister raised him alongside four cousins who resented his presence and treated him accordingly. Today, Desi is 58, a retired court officer, a gambler, and a loner. He has little interest in examining his own life or the lives of others. He has broken up with his girlfriend, quit his gamblers support group and lied to his therapist. Once or twice a week, he breakfasts with former courthouse colleagues. More often, he makes his way to the local casino to play blackjack. The only person he's close to is an aunt he has loved since childhood. But a medical diagnosis and a series of improbable encounters – with a young neuroscientist, a seemingly homeless man, a nursing home resident, and an artist in Las Vegas – leads him to a decision that may alter the course of the rest of his life. He embarks on an unlikely journey to an island where, in searching for his past, he discovers a possible future.

Robert Lovinger spent his childhood surrounded by loving, quirky aunts and uncles, one of whom found his way into the family by accident and provides the inspiration for The Mechanism of Chance. A father, husband, former journalist and mediocre poker player, Lovinger is a New York City native living in Massachusetts. If pressed, his favorite food is seven-layer chocolate cake. The Mechanism of Chance is his third novel.