Another Winner from Russo

You know that bumper sticker that says "A bad day of golfing [or fishing] is better than a good day at work"? That's how I feel about Richard Russo. Wait, that didn't come out right. What I mean to say is that everything he writes, even if it's not his best stuff, is better than pretty much anything anyone else writes. He may not have another Empire Falls* in him (after all, does anyone win the Pulitzer twice?), but I will continue to read every book he writes—and I dare say I will never be disappointed.

I just finished his latest, Bridge of Sighs, and I loved it. Russo treads familiar ground; this time we're in upstate New York, in a town where everyone used to work for the tannery—until the tannery went bust (amid growing revelations that it had polluted the town's river and afflicted generations of its inhabitants with cancer). Now people are cobbling together an existence as best they can, because it would never occur to them to leave and strike out elsewhere.

Most of the story is told by Louis Charles Lynch, who is saddled with the unfortunate nickname Lucy (from Lou C.); as an elderly man, he is looking back on his life as he writes his own memoir. When we first meet Lucy, his dad, AKA Big Lou, and his mom, Tessa, are barely scraping by as a milkman and a bookkeeper. When the new A&P comes to town, the milk route dries up, and the idealistic, giant-hearted Big Lou impetuously buys a failing convenience store, much against the wishes and good judgment of the ever-practical Tessa. Lucy takes after his dad in every way. He trusts everyone, assumes everything will turn out OK in the end, and can't imagine why anyone would want to leave town.

Two other narrators take turns filling us in: Lucy's best friend, Bobby Marconi (the only one who does ever leave town), and Lucy's girlfriend and eventual wife, Sarah Berg. Yes, of course it's a perfect love triangle. Secrets are kept and revealed, honor and trust are tested, the nature of truth is explored—you know, all the usual Russo stuff.

Russo's writing is as engaging and assured as ever. His characters are real to us almost from the start—the kind of people we continue to think about long after we've finished the book. It's not Empire Falls, but it's as good as—or better than—most novels I read in a year.

*Please don't tell me you haven't read Empire Falls yet. If you must tell me this, please also tell me that you're about to go to the library or bookstore to get it. It's wonderful.

Comments

[Sharon]

The Risk Pool and Straight Man are also among my favorites!

[beastmomma]

Uh-oh, I have not read Empire Falls yet. Hopefully, we can still be friends!

[Nancy]

I read and enjoyed Empire Falls, but unlike you wasn't transported. For me, Russo reached his pinnacle with Nobody's Fool. Loved the movie version, too (with Paul Newman). And I actually preferred the cable-TV version of Empire Falls to the book.

Still haven't gotten around to Bridge of Sighs. To be honest, yours is the first favorable review I've read! I'll check it out soon.

[Karen]

Hmm, if you didn't adore Empire Falls, then you might not like Bridge of Sighs either. I think the non-raves of Bridge of Sighs can be chalked up to people just expecting another Empire Falls. The review at Amazon is certainly a rave, and it's from PW.

I liked the HBO movie but thought Helen Hunt was horribly miscast -- she doesn't seem townie-tough to me at all.

I still haven't read Nobody's Fall, but the movie is a gem.

[Judy]

Just an FYI - Richard Russo was one of our neighbors growing up in Gloversville, NY. My dad was a leather chemist in one of those tanneries he writes about.

[Tonya]

I loved Empire Falls and Nobody's Fool, but I was quite disappointed with Bridge of Sighs. (Even though, as you said, a "lesser" book written by Russo is better than a "great" book written by many others). There were two things about Bridge of Sighs that ultimately made me feel the way I did: 1) The characters, while so real and well-defined, were pretty much unlikable, or at least un-relatable, and 2) I missed the humor that was so prevalent in the other books. I often laughed out loud in Empire Falls/Nobody's Fool, and I just didn't in Bridge of Sighs.

[Karen]

You're right, it hadn't occurred to me that this one was indeed pretty humorless. Straight Man was truly laugh-out-loud funny -- have you read that one?

[Janeen]

The Risk Pool is the only one of his I've read. I keep giving his books to my brother-in-law. Obviously, I should be keeping some for myself.

[steve]

I confess I have not yet read Empire Falls. I will head to B&N on my way home and start it as soon as I finish my book-club book (book club is this Friday - we're reading The Genius by Jesse Kellerman).

I just read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair which has a lot of similar themes.

[Susan]

I just watched "Nobody's Fool" a couple of nights ago to refresh my memory, as we're doing on a Paul Newman retrospective at work. That movie has always been one of my favorites, so it was my choice. I have not read the book, but you all have inspired me to give Mr. Russo a try.