Picas

Dark Man, a bizarre anti-hero, sets an imaginary central Europe into a frenzy in this work portraying the horrors of life in present-day Europe. Using his powers of temptation and enticement, this anti-heroic figure begins to seep under the skin of the people he meets and to transform their lives while they remain in blissful ignorance of his purposes.

An epic story that unfolds over four decades, this haunting novel follows Andrea on her personal journey to discover the true identity of her father. Taking place in Santa Cruz, California; San Remo, Italy; Paris, France; and a small town in North Carolina, this is a moving story of two families and their battles and conflicts as they explore the meanings and boundaries of kinship.

Impeccably crafted and sensitively written, this collection of short stories is built around the outstanding yet ordinary individuals and rural working class eccentrics of the author's native upstate New York. Gritty, raw, and real, these depictions of the hardworking poor reveal the secret burdens of their everyday lives. At the core of these wide-ranging narratives are moments of surprise and illumination that stun the thoughtful characters and force them to face the unknown.

A realistic portrayal of the Sicilian fishing community in San Diego in the 1950s, Confetti for Gino captures the mood and atmosphere of a time that now seems antiquated and hard to believe. The novel centers around the DeMarino family, in particular fishing boat captain Gino DeMarino's stubborn attempts to break away from tradition by vowing to marry a woman from outside the Italian community, and his mother's (Mamma DeMarino's) just as stubborn fight to ensure he marries someone within the community.