Russo's last book, the Pulitzer Prize winner, Empire Falls was one of my favorites. Russo is extremely adept at creating interesting characters that you become invested in. Much like Empire Falls, he again explores small town life in upstate New York. This time we are in Thomaston, N.Y., where the local tannery is slowly poisoning the residents as it dumps cancerous dyes into the local river. Russo tells a story within a story as the main character Lou C. Lynch (unfortunately nicknamed Lucy due to the teachers mispronouncing his name the first day of elementary school) writes his life story while moving forward in the current narrative. A nice device that allows the story to move smoothly back in time and provides great insights into the unfolding real time story.
For the first 100 pages or so, you are buying into Russo's theory that small town life is idyllic and something to be honored. But slowly, he starts to expand the characters and their flaws appear in a very natural way that allows you to enjoy their complexities. You can no longer just glide through the book thinking Lou is a good guy living a happy life in the same small town he was born and raised in. You start to understand that all decisions and life experiences, no matter how small, have consequences.
While the ending takes a strange left turn, I don't think it hurts the overall story. Another great American story.
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