The Taffia by ROBERT ALUN WHIPPEY

The Taffia Reviews

• 
  Whistler's Mom

  This book is self-published and there are some typos and misspellings. The writing is rough and there are WAY too many exclamations points for comfort.
  
  On the other hand, it's a uniquely wacky story and has some bizarre and endearing characters. Which is why I felt I got my money's worth out of it. Even to a cheapskate like me, $1.20 isn't a lot and it's amusing to be paying $1.20 for a book, instead of 99 cents or $1.99. You go into it expected the off-beat and you won't be disappointed. This is no ordinary tale.
  
  The author is a Welshman, also known (affectionately or otherwise) as a "Taffy." The plot centers around the large Italian community in Wales and some of the characters are a bit dicey. Is there such a thing as the "Taffia" and how far will they go to get what they want?
  
  Our hero Idris is a retired coal miner and he's hired by an Italian-Welsh friend to pick up a visiting relative from America and show him around Wales. Since Id is a genial fellow and proud of his homeland, he figures the job will be a snap. He is WRONG.
  
  The story is told in English, but it's not American English. I'll save you some puzzlement by telling you that O.A.P. means "Old Age Pensioner" - the over-seas equivalent of our "Senior Citizen."* You can figure out "a right good seeing to" for yourself. If not, this may not be the book for you.
  
  I don't want to give the plot away, but Italian-American Luigi is a handful and the combined efforts of Idris and a former-cop bodyguard prove insufficient to keep him out of trouble. When he stumbles into an O.A.P. function, he hooks up with a frisky widow and the action heats up in more ways than one. Then there are those two Godfather-rejects who are following them around. Friend or foe?
  
  This is a romp in every sense of the word. You'll have to check your skepticism at the door and just enjoy the ride. Idris is likable and watching him trying to ride herd on the irrepressible Luigi is a hoot. You can find some holes in the story, but the Welsh tourism bureau needs to consider putting this author on the payroll. His descriptions make you want to book a flight to Wales. Without Luigi along, it should be a wonderful vacation.
  
  *Isn't it interesting that the American term stresses that seniors still have the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, while the English term celebrates old age as a paying proposition? I'm trying to decide which term is a more accurate description of our true feelings about ageing and the aged.
  
  The kind of quirky little book made possible by e-publishing. I'm happy I lived long enough to enjoy them.