Music and writing go hand in hand. A well-crafted sentence or line of dialogue in a book has a certain rhythm, like a good song you want to hear on repeat. I tend to write characters who love music just as much as I do. Not only are these five songs inspiration for this story but they’re also mentioned in the book. And there’s no better time to have a great playlist than during a cross-country road trip, which is the setting for my novel, THE BUMP.
Rolling in the Deep by Adele
Have you ever driven to this song? It’s so much fun. Get in your car, turn this on, pump up the volume and safely merge onto the nearest highway of your choice as you roll past a glorious sunset. I’ll wait. Are you back? I bet that was fun. The percussion that introduces this tune and continues throughout is such a banger. It kicks off Wyatt and Biz’s journey when they need a good song, not only to begin their road trip but to find some common ground since the two of them start off this story struggling to connect. When they put this song on, they can’t help but come together and sing at the top of their lungs.
Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish
Sometimes your road trip playlist needs to take it down a notch and get all emo. Billie Eilish’s song (and most of her music) is a great palate cleanser that transports you into a moody, ethereal state of mind. And Billie’s brother Finneas writes the most vivid lyrics. As Wyatt and Biz race toward their favorite place on earth, Provincetown, they’re guided by this song. Not only does it loosely speak to Wyatt and Biz gazing into each other’s eyes but it conjures the smell of salt air as they near the Atlantic Ocean.
The Original Cast Recording of Hamilton (Twice!) by Lin-Manuel Miranda
This musical and album changed my life. It opened up a world of storytelling to me that I fell deeper and deeper into. Lin-Manuel is truly a genius. Whenever I’m on a road trip, I have to listen and sing along to this entire album so I wanted to incorporate this epic, storytelling feeling into The Bump. Biz loves listening to musicals and Wyatt goes along with him when they listen to this album (twice!) on their road trip. It’s that good.
Beautiful Boy by John Lennon
As Wyatt and Biz count down the days until they become parents, they have their own personal acapella karaoke scene with this song on the way to their baby’s birth. Wyatt belts out the emotional John Lennon lyric, “Close your eyes. Have no fear. The monster’s gone. He’s on the run and your daddy’s here.” It’s another double whammy of a song for these characters as Wyatt recalls his mother singing this song to him as a kid while Biz hopefully overcomes his fears of becoming a dad. The song sums up their relationships with their own parents as they embark on building a family of their own.
Never Let Me Down Again by Depeche Mode
There’s something extremely mysterious, romantic, hopeful and sexy about this song. It’s also important to the main characters, Wyatt and Biz because it’s the song that was playing when they first laid eyes on each other. It was love at first song! The lyrics speak volumes to the overall story from start to finish. I love the idea that Wyatt and Biz are a couple but they’re also best friends, which the main lyric of the song captures perfectly. “I’m taking a ride with my best friend.” But the rest of that lyric also evokes the tension that’s currently between these two and the bumps they have to endure when Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode sings, “I hope he never lets me down again.” The Smashing Pumpkins did a cover of this song which is equally as great. “We’re flying high. Watching the world pass us by…” To me, this is the official theme song of The Bump.
Two men expecting a baby via surrogate go on the road trip of a lifetime in this hilarious and poignant novel by Sidney Karger, author of Best Men.
Wyatt Wallace is a practical, super organized director of TV commercials. Biz Petterelli is a child-actor-turned-magazine-writer who thrives on spontaneity. Though polar opposites, they are fully committed to their relationship and their life in Brooklyn with their dog, Matilda. They’re also about to have a baby together.
And they’re freaking out.
They’ve both dreamed of becoming parents, but now that it’s happening, they’re doubting everything. Their baby is due in a few weeks and instead of flying to California just before the birth as planned, Biz has a better idea. They could use one last hurrah, along with some serious “us-time” to mend the issues they’ve been having lately—before they get tied down by fatherhood and its impending responsibilities. So the daddies-to-be load up their 1992 Volkswagen Cabriolet and embark on an epic cross-country babymoon. They attempt to recharge at the beach in Provincetown, stumble through their impromptu baby shower in Chicago, and endure a Star Wars-themed wedding in Colorado before heading west for the baby.
But when they take several unexpected detours, old wounds are reopened and secrets spill out that could change their relationship for better or for worse, forcing the couple to reexamine the meaning of family while building their own. After all, what’s a road trip without a few bumps along the way?
Romance Comedy | Romance LGBTQ [Berkley, On Sale: May 21, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593439500 / eISBN: 9780593439517]
Sidney Karger is screenwriter, novelist and director.
His original screenplay “Fantasy Camp” sold in a competitive bidding situation to STX Entertainment and has Jennifer Garner attached to star, directed by Abby Kohn & Marc Silverstein. Sid has written feature screenplays for Legendary Entertainment, Stampede Ventures, StoryFace Productions, Josh Gad and has adapted a Dave Eggers middle school novel. His screenplays have been featured on the annual Black List of the best screenplays in Hollywood and The Hit List twice. Sid’s short film “Daddy,” a comedy about a gay dude giving birth, won the first ever HBO LGBT Short Film Competition, premiered on HBO and screened at film festivals worldwide.
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