From humble beginnings in an ice cream van, through family tragedy and the quest for world peace, Mario's young life is, to say the least... remarkable.This fable of modern life for the city 'youf' of today brilliantly encapsulates the zeitgeist. Witty, sometimes crude, and often outrageous, the reader is captivated by the hilarious stories of the people Mario encounters on his journey through adolescence.The author obviously knows this existence, which ensures that the novel retains an affection and pathos for the zany characters portrayed.Interspersed with political ideas and expressive poetry, this is one young man's story of living, and surviving, in our time, reminding us, above all, to retain our sense of humour. After all, life is a joke...