Book summary

Billy Lynch is an alcoholic. At his death, his large Irish Catholic family in Queens tells stories about him--his loyalty, his wacky side, his sad past--trying to understand the roots of his destructive drinking. A New York Times Notable Book for 1998.

Media reviews

"A softly resonant and nostalgic tale told so masterfully, so movingly, that it seems to distill a human essence on virtually every page."