When a rare condition suddenly rendered his father paraplegic on Christmas Eve 1980, twenty-three-year-old Steven Sorrentino stowed away his dreams of a Broadway career—not to mention his budding sexuality—left New York City, went back into the closet, and returned to his small hometown in New Jersey to take over Clint's Corner, his father's luncheonette. Steven found himself at the grill flipping porkroll and slowly flipping out, serving a counter full of eccentrics, and befriending the ribald Dolores, his crusty old waitress with a particular flair for butchering the English language. From this unusual post, Steven watched his wheelchair-bound father refuse to accept defeat, even furthering his career in local politics. Somehow, the more his father triumphed, the more Steven became the paralyzed one. Guilty and confused, Steven made a shocking and desperate decision—not knowing that he was about to stumble upon the secrets of his father's resilience. is an irresistible story about a son's complicated loyalty to his father, and the inspirational life lessons found in unexpected places. This fifteenth anniversary edition includes a new author's note, photos and more. "With echoes of Wally Lamb and David Sedaris, and a voice all its own, Luncheonette is a survivor's tale told with compassion and style, and all the edges left sharp." —Jerry Stahl, author of Permanent Midnight and I, Fatty "With his pitch-perfect blend of poignancy, wrenching gallows humor, and above all, truth, Steven Sorrentino's arrival on the literary scene is our collective good fortune." —David Rakoff, author of Fraud "Winsome...likely to be compared to the work of David Sedaris...This loving, humorous portrait, resplendent with colorful diner characters and witty malapropisms, is highly recommended..." —Library Journal