Annabelle and the Sandhog is a heart-felt and thought-provoking exploration of the complexities of family relationships as seen through the eyes of three generations of O'Malley men. As the clan patriarch, John O'Malley, recovers from a stroke-and with nothing but time on his hands-he revisits his life as an unwanted child and his ultimate decision to leave home at age sixteen. He becomes a sandhog, that skilled but dangerous occupations of blasting into bedrock to lay bridge and skyscraper foundations. His son Mike, still harbors resentment for the constant relocations he endured in his youth. Mike's son, Tim, deals with the loss of a child. Communication is strained across the board. A simple tape recorder provides the catalyst to healing as John records his life story and both son and grandson begin their own introspective journeys. The author offers to his readers not only a lesson on what it was like to live and work in America in the early 1900's but one on life in general-a lesson that transcends the years