Annotation
InFlesh and Blood,Michael Cunningham takes us on a masterful journeythrough four generations of the Stassos family as he examines the dynamics ofa family struggling to "come of age" in the 20th century.In 1950, Constantine Stassos, a Greek immigrant laborer, marries Mary Cuccio, anItalian-American girl, and together they produce three children: Susan, an ambitiousbeauty, Billy, a brilliant homosexual, and Zoe, a wild child. Over the years, a web oftangled longings, love, inadequacies and unfulfilled dreams unfolds as Mary andConstantine's marriage fails and Susan, Billy, and Zoe leave to make families oftheir own. Zoe raises a child with the help of a transvestite, Billy makes a lifewith another man, and Susan raises a son conceived in secret, each extendingthe meaning of family and love. With the power of a Greek tragedy, the storybuilds to a heartbreaking crescendo, allowing a glimpse into contemporary lifewhich will echo in one's heart for years to come.
Awards
1996 Lambda Literary Awards
Author Notes
Michael Cunningham grew up in Los Angeles and lives in New York City. He is also the author of A Home at the End of the World and The Hours.