Nicolo’s older and younger brothers seem to have their lives in focus. Nicolo works hard, saves his money, respects his parents and his nonna, but he is still living at home in his early 20s, his life as unformed as gelato. If only he knew which direction to take. His father wants him to study. His mother hints that he should to start a family of his own. Nonna’s advice is emphatic but mysterious.

Filomena Pavone, Nonna to her family, watches over and advises her grandsons by day, and dreams by night of her youth in the southern Italian village of Arduino—its dusty narrow streets, its fragrant flowers, her first forbidden kisses. No one knows or remembers this other Filomena, and her surrendered life of passion and love. But her spirit still glows inside her like banked coals.

Beloved by readers and critics alike, Advice for Italian Boys resonates and surprises. Anne Giardini reveals how life’s most intense moments arise unexpectedly, and how, like Nicolo, we must glean the advice we need to live our lives from well-intentioned but often misguided friends, family and strangers.

Combining a spirited fairy tale plot with an eloquent mediation on the nature of happiness, The Sad Truth About Happiness by Anne Giardini is a luminous first novel by the daughter of the late Carol Shields. Written during her mother's final struggle with breast cancer, The Sad Truth About Happiness shares much in common with Shields's haunting last novel, Unless. Giardini was a columnist for the National Post for three years and is the author or numerous essays, stories and articles. She is one of five children, and lives in Vancouver.

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