THE LUCK OF GINGER COFFEY (293 pp.) Brian MooreAtlantic-Little, Brown ($4).
James Francis ("Ginger") Coffey has discovered the secret of eternal boyhood. He never faces facts. Born in Dublin "in humble circs" but now a status-seeking New Canadian immigrant, Ginger daily imagines his ship will come in even while he founders at some bar. With a flaming red mustache and a bluff military stance acquired in the Irish Army, Ginger leads his troupes of sentimental illusions and heroic reveries straight into the machine-gun fire of reality.
Old Maids & Galley Slaves. Belfast-born Canadian Novelist...