Budding writer Giovanni Zappacosta-O'Hara suspects that there's more to his family's legacy than he's been told. His parents recount the history in devastating, scandalous and rollicking stories, while Gio and his boyfriend joke that there must be lies woven into the details. When his boyfriend is struck with cancer, the laughter stops. Gio can't bear watching the disease eat away his life, his sanity and the person he loves.

Full of shame, Gio flees to New York, using his family history as a feeble excuse - he's going to get to the bottom of it. What happens next forces Gio to confront his cowardice and find a different motivation for his book: redemption. As he retells the stories, he discovers family secrets that make him question his identity. The hilarious and heartfelt characters he finds along the way give him surprising chances to get over himself - but will he take them? (From Enfield & Wizenty / Great Plains Press)

Matthew Fox's first short story collection Cities of Weather was nominated for the Quebec Writers' Federation's McAuslan First Book Prize. His work has appeared in publications including Toronto Life, Maisonneuve, and the New Quarterly. Fox grew up in Ontario and now lives in Berlin.