Sinner's Paradise

by Scott Lettieri

When Martin Fante walks into a lesbian bar in the seediest part of San Francisco desperately looking for his aloof yet alluring girlfriend, we know all is not well. But something much deeper drives Martin, a secret that begins to surface as he cares for his dying mother. Martin's torment--for years buried beneath a string of sexual liaisons, an irreverent lifestyle, and a career as a radio news reporter-can no longer be ignored. As his mother's health and his relationship with his girlfriend degenerate, that dark secret threatens to bury Martin instead. Scott Lettieri writes knowingly, with precise and sometimes outraged compassion about Martin's struggle, a journey that takes the reader through the back streets of San Francisco, L.A., and Martin's psyche. Through flashbacks of Martin's childhood, we learn what drives the adult Martin Fante, what makes him stay in an abusive relationship, what ties him to the violence he yearns to escape. The result is a novel that allows the reader to experience how even death can serve the love that makes life worth living.

170 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2002