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mcarson24 's review for:
Empire Falls
by Richard Russo
This is the first Richard Russo novel I have explored. I have settled on a 5* review after finishing it and resting with it for a day or so. Why? Well, because I loved the characters. I loved the way this longer book unfolded slowly, patiently. For the way no-one’s story ended quite the way you thought it would, but you could still appreciate each turn of event and the import it held. I loved it for the way I could completely envision the depiction of the most lovable and the most despicable of the people you meet in Empire Falls. I‘ll let you decide who is who…
This decaying town is either going to be swept away in the flood of changing times or reinvent itself as something new and hopeful . Maybe the same could be said for every person you meet while you’re there. Will they find some way to leave behind a past that has failed them? Will they locate some inner sense of courage to let go of what was and take hold of what could be? Can they escape the damages of life - both the self-inflicted and the beyond-their-control ones? Existential, maybe, but relatable. Even Francine Whiting, the one character I don’t think I have ever met in real life, although I have encountered her in literature often enough, seems almost real. This book is filled with tragic and triumphant moments, big and small. But it is equally filled with every day moments that would never stand out as meaningful unless you’re allowed to see them in the longer timeline.
The Pulitzer for this novel was earned for me not by the uniqueness of its writing, but by the honesty of it. Crafted tightly and well, but without trying too hard and without stepping outside the reader’s sense of believability, Russo helps increase my appreciation for a story that takes its time. Some of my favorite novels have taken awhile to finish, not because they are too long, but because they are executed in such a way that you have time to walk alongside the principals, see their complexities and get to know them well enough that you can’t tag them as good or bad. Rather, you have to welcome them for who they are, sit down next to them on the stool at the diner counter and chat with them over a cup of coffee.
I realize I haven’t really told you what the book is about, but I’m okay with that. It’s worth you checking it out for yourself…
Reader alerts: there are some triggers in the book related to school violence and some sexual content. Some strong language at times. Screen if you are a sensitive reader.
This decaying town is either going to be swept away in the flood of changing times or reinvent itself as something new and hopeful . Maybe the same could be said for every person you meet while you’re there. Will they find some way to leave behind a past that has failed them? Will they locate some inner sense of courage to let go of what was and take hold of what could be? Can they escape the damages of life - both the self-inflicted and the beyond-their-control ones? Existential, maybe, but relatable. Even Francine Whiting, the one character I don’t think I have ever met in real life, although I have encountered her in literature often enough, seems almost real. This book is filled with tragic and triumphant moments, big and small. But it is equally filled with every day moments that would never stand out as meaningful unless you’re allowed to see them in the longer timeline.
The Pulitzer for this novel was earned for me not by the uniqueness of its writing, but by the honesty of it. Crafted tightly and well, but without trying too hard and without stepping outside the reader’s sense of believability, Russo helps increase my appreciation for a story that takes its time. Some of my favorite novels have taken awhile to finish, not because they are too long, but because they are executed in such a way that you have time to walk alongside the principals, see their complexities and get to know them well enough that you can’t tag them as good or bad. Rather, you have to welcome them for who they are, sit down next to them on the stool at the diner counter and chat with them over a cup of coffee.
I realize I haven’t really told you what the book is about, but I’m okay with that. It’s worth you checking it out for yourself…
Reader alerts: there are some triggers in the book related to school violence and some sexual content. Some strong language at times. Screen if you are a sensitive reader.