When Barry White, a young plumber, leaves Australia for Canada in 1960, he has no idea that his travels will take him from the freezing wastes of the Canadian North West to the searing heat of Qatar where he works in some of the toughest conditions in the world, or to a London basement flat where a group of intellectuals introduce him to a level of thought and culture previously unknown to him. Written with self-depreciating humour in a uniquely Australian voice, The Rat Catcher's Grandson not only chronicles Barry's most entertaining adventures but also gives insight into life during the cold war era and an appreciation for Australian resourcefulness and humour.

Warning: Heavy use of profanities and Australian slang--glossary included.