Straight Man, Richard Russo, Random House, 1997, 391 pp
This reading group pick is Richard Russo's fourth novel. William Henry Devereaux, Jr is the chairman of the English department at a small Pennsylvania university. Campus politics, budget issues and changing mores should make Will's job stressful but he appears to be above it all with his witty, carefree but rebellious manner. Is he though?
He wanted to be a novelist yet only has one slim book from his younger years to his credit. He has huge daddy issues, a detachment from his grown daughters, and a philosophical attitude toward his wife of many years.
When the wife goes out of town for a week, Will's life begins to spiral downward. The novel takes place over those seven days. In our house, the gag is that my husband of almost 39 years needs supervision. Things go wrong when I am away. So I found that aspect of the novel quite hilarious.
Some, no many, of the incidents in which Will finds himself border on slapstick. Russo got lots of laughs out of me. In the end though, I felt that while I was entertained I never cared that much what might happen to a man who was not quite in touch with himself or with others. Mostly he got by on luck.
The reading group members liked it and we had more laughs discussing it.
(Straight Man is available in paperback by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
I have to read this (copy on my shelf). My husband needs supervion too LOL
ReplyDeleteLOL back at you. I think they all do.
DeleteAll husbands need supervision. It's a truth universally acknowledged - at least by wives. I've read a couple of Russo's books and enjoyed them immensely but not this one. Something to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteGood to know I am not alone!
DeleteSounds funny, and from what you and the above comments say, believable. :-) A fun read is good once in a while.
ReplyDeleteOnce in a while is right!
DeleteRusso has some good humor about his books. I haven't read this one but I do like academia-set novels. I liked his Empire Falls and Nobody's Fool which is probably my favorite one.
ReplyDeleteI read and liked Empire Falls. Someday I will read another one of his, so probably on your recommendation it will be Nobody's Fool. I understand he also wrote a memoir.
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