Eddie's Bastard by William Kowalski (2000, Paperback)

Through the tales of his ancestors, his own experiences, and the unforgettable characters who enhance and enliven his adolescence, Billy learns of bravery and cowardice, of life and death, of the heart's capacity for love and for unremitting hatred, eventually grasping the meaning of family and history and their power to shape destiny. Steeped in imagery and threaded with lyricism, Eddie's Bastard is a novel of discovery, of a young man's emergence into the world, and the endless possibilities it offers.

Industry Reviews
"Though coming-of-age-in-a-dysfunctional-family novels are a dime a dozen, this first novel by 28-year-old Kowalski never descends into maudlin self-pity, and the plot, though complex, never becomes overly convoluted....[H]is characters remain real as they attempt to solve their problems."
Burns