A funny and poignant evocation of an Italian family in Canada, recounted through the tales Joe Fiorito's father - musician, soldier, postman, raconteur - would tell and retell at the kitchen table after a night's drinking. Now as death approaches, the old man can manage only snatches of the stories that once kept his listeners spell bound. Fortunately for the reader, Lucky's son has learnt his father's stories well and can pick up on the tiniest cues.
Every tale of skulduggery, comedy, bad behaviour, love, tragedy, or revenge is celebrated for its humour and vitality and set against the author's own deeply affecting reminiscence of his father's alcohol-induced cruelty towards both wife and children.
