Where does one find solace after the death of a father? Who will listen without judgment to grief's flood of fragile memories, insights, regrets? The young narrator of this collection addresses a meandering creek where she and her father spent quiet hours together fishing. "Creek" becomes the confidante who receives her questions and qualms. The Hook Was Very Sharp, examines a shy daughter's relationship with the hard-working, self-sacrificing, gambling, father at the center of her Italian American family. This collection, a family portrait drawn in words, is at once elegy, lament, and praise.
This book is illustrated by the author with seven abstract paintings influenced by the Habuku ink-splash style of Japanese painting.
