100 Days of Happiness

Immensely readable and infectious, this warm and insightful novel follows a terminal cancer patient in San Lorenzo, Italy, through his last wishes and life's goals. Presented as a memoir, it's a stream-of-consciousness revelation of the joys and fears of life interspersed with pearls of wisdom. Water polo coach and gym instructor Lucio Battistini provides a first-person account of his discovery of late-stage liver cancer and his to-do list for his 100 days left. He wants to see his beloved water polo team succeed; play practical jokes with best friends Umberto and Corrado; treat children Lorenzo and Eva to a trans-European vacation; find a girlfriend for widowed father-in-law Oscar, who always has fresh hot doughnuts ready in his bakery; and apologize to reluctant wife Paola, whom he cheated on. Lucio names his tumor Fritz, is obsessed with over-achiever Leonardo da Vinci, and provides opinions on chemotherapy, illness, and suicide. Brizzi's enchanting and often humorous story encourages readers to start now on their to-do lists. (Aug.)