Boyf

4.0 out of 5 stars Beneath laughter serious reflection

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2023

Looking at the author’s bio, I saw that he has been a screenwriter among his varied accomplishments. It helped me understand what make this a truly entertaining read. The descriptions of life in Montreal leap off the page. You can almost taste a smoked meat (not pastrami, as the father repeatedly says!) sandwich. Told from the standpoint of the son who is taking his irascible father back from Florida to Montreal, it is as if he was sitting in the bar telling us anecdotes about their adventures and misadventures. A very entertaining narrative, yes; but beneath it is an insightful account of a man who has accepted the challenge of taking care of his dementia-afflicted, incontinent father from whom he has long been distant. Through this journey the son reflects on the scars from a marriage that that had recently dissolved and his growing up with a controlling but emotionally-distant father. But through all this, the tone is light and the narrative fast-paced. I await the TV series(. I wish there were a 4.5 rating -- this deserves more than a 4 rating)