Synopses & Reviews
Barry Gifford's consummate skills ring true once again in this riveting memoir. Though Gifford knew little of his father, who divorced his mother when he was eight and died only four years later, Gifford powerfully delineates the story of the man known to most everyone but him.
The Phantom Father develops as a series of scattered memories that evolve into a robust tale of discovery as Gifford masterfully explores the intangible relationship he had with his father. A bookie and a liquor store/drugstore owner, Rudy Winston was known by almost everyone in Chicago, Havana, and New Orleans and had cronies in almost every city he visited. Winston lived the fast life, attending highfalutin' affairs, where he mingled with sportsmen, movie celebrities, and even such mobsters as Ben "Bugsy" Seigel. By drawing from his own memories and those of his mother, Gifford brilliantly depicts the mystery and intrigue of his father's aggrandized life.
Synopsis
A series of scattered memories evolve into a robust tale of discovery as Gifford masterfully explores the intangible relationship he had with his father. By drawing from his own memories and those of his mother's, Gifford brilliantly depicts the mystery and intrigue of his father's aggrandized life.