In Flesh and Blood,
Michael Cunningham takes us on a masterful journey through four
generations of the Stassos family as he examines the dynamics of a family
struggling to "come of age" in the 20th century.
In 1950, Constantine Stassos, a Greek immigrant laborer, marries
Mary Cuccio, an Italian-American girl, and together they produce three
children: Susan, an ambitious beauty, Billy, a brilliant homosexual, and
Zoe, a wild child.
Over the years, a web of tangled longings, love, inadequacies and
unfulfilled dreams unfolds as Mary and Constantine's marriage fails and
Susan, Billy, and Zoe leave to make families of their own.
Zoe raises a child with the help of a transvestite, Billy makes a
life with another man, and Susan raises a son conceived in secret, each
extending the meaning of family and love.
With the power of a Greek tragedy, the story builds to a
heartbreaking crescendo, allowing a glimpse into contemporary life which
will echo in one's heart for years to come.