'Pasta Mike' Celebrates Lifelong Friends, Explores Grief: New Novel By NJ Native

GLEN ROCK, NJ — Michael O'Shea's death in 2013 affected many people in Bergen County: family, friends, fellow law enforcement officers, and numerous others.

O'Shea's longest friend, Andrew Cotto, recently published a novel based on their lifelong friendship in Glen Rock, and about the grief that wracked him after O'Shea's death.

O’Shea died of leukemia in 2013. Cotto estimates 2,000 people came to his wake in Wyckoff. The book "Pasta Mike: A Story of Friendship and Loss" celebrates their friendship, and follows Cotto's walk with grief.

“I didn’t realize how much it would impact me and what it would feel like to suffer like that over the loss of someone who was a friend," Cotto told Patch. "And that grief stayed with me for a very long time.”

O'Shea and Cotto were together their entire lives, born five days apart and baptized at the same service. Cotto credits their upbringing in Glen Rock for making O'Shea who he was. Cotto remembers his friend as popular and well-liked because of his giving, kind, and empathetic nature.

"I really wanted to pay tribute to that because I think the characteristics he displayed that made him so beloved are ones that we should be encouraging in our young men," Cotto said.

O'Shea was 44 when he died. He lived in Wyckoff with his wife and their three children. O'Shea was a Los Angeles police officer before moving home and working for the Glen Rock Police Department. He served as an agent for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The book is a fictionalized version of their childhood, set in New York City. It's Cotto's seventh published novel. He is a regular contributor to "The New York Times" and has written for many other publications about food, drink, and life.

In the book, the character Mike is a firefighter in New York City who develops cancer after responding to Ground Zero on 9/11.

“I know that firefighters understand brotherhood very closely," Cotto said. "And I wanted to recognize their heroism and the sacrifice that still goes on."

The character Andy's devastation in dealing with Mike's death is something Cotto wrote from first-hand experience. He said that after he wrote about O'Shea's death in the past, a number of other men wrote to thank him for talking about grief, mental health, and the importance of male friendship.

"I wasn't expecting to hear from so many people," Cotto said. "I knew people would appreciate the tribute. I didn't know how conversations would evolve. I'm really glad it has."

The book is called "Pasta Mike" after a nickname Andy's grandma gives Mike for his big appetite. But a shared love of food isn't fiction.

"Food is something that Mike and I enjoyed immensely together,” Cotto said.

“In the book, the reconnection with food as a device for memory is what helps the character of Andy start to recover.”

Cotto said he wrote "Pasta Mike" to pay a tribute to his friend, and to the power of male friendship in general; as well as having an open conversation about mental health.

A book launch party and celebration of O'Shea's life will be in Glen Rock on March 19. Cotto was also on "Good Day New York" to talk about his book last week.

The book is available at major retailers, as well as online.

"Pasta Night with Pasta Mike" is at the Glen Rock Community Church Annex from 7-10 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. A ticket includes a signed copy of the book, live music from Dan Green and Robert Ferrari, and a pasta dinner (meat or vegetarian sauce) with wine, salad, bread and dessert.

Pre-registration is required and a ticket costs $50. Tickets may be purchased via Venmo (@Andrew-Cotto-1) or PayPal (cottos3@hotmail.com). Contact Cotto at andrewcottowriter@gmail.com for more information or to pay by cash or check.