On the left-side is my male protagonist at 14. This is a crucial time in his life as he is one year after experiencing family tragedy. He's spent time on the streets. He hasn't hit puberty yet. He's not yet 'discovered' by the mob boss who will irrevocably change his life's direction.
On the right-hand is my protagonist's youngest brother as an adult.
He wears, what I learned from research, what's called a Chesterfield coat, a favorite of mine.
This look was iconoclastic of the 1930s/40s.
The brothers are opposites: 'Slash' Castellano is the eldest son, born in Italy, arrived in the U.S. as an infant, and was raised in the States. He is sullen, even as a boy, moody with a ferocious temper. He was lean as a child and later developed an athletic body in his mid-teens.
His youngest brother, affectionately called 'Benny-amo', on the other hand, is slightly pudgy, and though he looks more wolfish, holds a happier outlook.
Benniamo will play a crucial role in the family dynamics as well as prove to be a catalyst for major changes to the Castellano family.
