One man’s chaotic journey through work, addiction, travel, and redemption—told with brutal honesty, biting humour, and unexpected tenderness.

This definitive volume brings together, for the first time, all the short stories and memoirs from Spanish Yarns and Beyond, English Yarns and Beyond, and A Bricklayer’s Tales—collected in chronological order to form a raw, unconventional portrait of a life lived on the margins.

Ray is a bricklayer with a weakness for booze, drugs, and escape. From London’s grim building sites to Spanish villages, American courtrooms, and cult meetings, his misadventures are as tragic as they are absurd.

These stories—often dark, sometimes surreal, and always deeply human—chronicle everything from childhood trauma to spiritual searching, from failed relationships to fleeting moments of clarity.

Whether he’s being deported from the States, joining a cult to sober up, or accidentally overdosing before a day’s work, Ray’s voice remains wry, weary, and unmistakably authentic.

“Compelling, clever, and painfully real. A binge-worthy read.” — Goodreads reviewer

Inside this unforgettable collection:

• The Cuckoo’s Egg – A boyhood prank that ends in heartbreak

• My Best Mate’s Head – Can a hangover actually save your life?

• Peyote – Hippies, LSD, and the search for peace

• Steak, Egg and Intensive Care – A dinner that ends in disaster

• The Unchangeable Chameleon – Can we ever truly reinvent ourselves?

• A Bricklayer’s Tale – A final reckoning with the life he built—and the one he ran from

With echoes of Bukowski, Welsh, and Kerouac, Gary Troia captures the bleak beauty of everyday life with unflinching honesty and dark wit.

For readers who like their stories rough-edged, real, and unforgettable.