Empire Falls: Russo's New Novel & My Dealings With Street Vendors and Self-Therapy
Written: Jun 30 '01
Product Rating:
Pros: Thoroughly defined characters who are both engaging and real
Cons: I have problems with being aggressive in certain situations
The Bottom Line: While many movies and books try to give you a large cast of interesting and memorable characters, Empire Falls actually does it, with a funny and engaging story to boot.
omar107's Full Review: Richard Russo - Empire Falls: Premio Pulitzer 2002
"How much you want for this one," I asked the street vendor with a copy of Richard Russo's new novel, Empire Falls. I was hoping he would say $10. I would never have expected him to say anything less. The book had just come out, had been overwhelmingly well-reviewed by critics, and what's more, the copy was in mint condition. Retail value was $25.96. So as you can see, that's why I was hoping for nothing more than $10. I really couldn't even afford that, but the ecstatic reviews for this book, which kept saying how the characters were so well-defined that they stayed with you long after the book was over, had piqued my interest and I decided, "Dammit, for once, I'm not going to wait for this book to be available at the library! I'm going to buy a copy, as crazy and impractical as that may be!"
"Three dollars," said the man. He had a thick, yet indistinguishable accent.
"Three dollars??" I exclaimed.
"Okay, two," he said. Apparently, I was a better negotiator than I thought.
"Um...okay," I said, digging into my pocket for the cash hopefully before the man realized what a horrible mistake he was making. But he didn't change his mind, and I now own a copy of Empire Falls. I felt a little guilty about getting the book so cheaply though. I felt like I had conned the vendor, like perhaps he didn't know he was supposed to sell it to me so cheaply, and that he was going to get in trouble with his superiors later in the day.
But as I read the first few chapters of this gem of a novel, I realized how silly I was being. Miles Roby, the book's protaganist, has a similar problem as myself. He sometimes (or in his case, often) is a sap and a pushover, and doesn't take advantage of opportunities when they arise, or when he does, can't help but analyze them to death and think about how he could acted better in the situation. He tries so hard sometimes to please others, that he forgets to bother with taking care of his needs. Now I am not nearly as bad as Miles (few people are). I'd say I'm not a sap very often, not much more than the average person. But when I am, it can be almost debilitating in how I feel so unable to control my actions. It makes me feel like society's conventions and my own insecurity are directing everything I do. Miles understands this. He goes through it every day of his life. But while in real life, you would often get terribly frustrated at someone like this, in Empire Falls, you feel nothing but sympathy for Miles. That, and complete understanding.
All of Richard Russo's characters are that way. They all have some flaw that are so awful as to be actually debilitating in certain situations, but we all have these same problems in varying (and hopefully lesser) degrees: insecurity, stubborness, fear, or self-righteousness. Richard Russo, through this engaging tale, allows us to understand these aspects of ourselves better, through his characters, and this lovely, little town with the most intriging history you can imagine.
Empire Falls was once a very prosperous town, years ago, when the logging and shirt factories were the main source of employment for most of the members of the town. Now that both factories have gone belly-up, the town is in shambles, resembling Flint, Michigan, birthplace of director Roger Moore, and subject of his first film, Roger & Me (an excellent and hilarious documentary-if you've never seen it, check it out!).
Miles Roby, whose mother's only wish was for him to get out of this god-forsaking town, is of course, still in this god-forsaking town. He runs the Empire Grill, a struggling diner, and takes care of his daughter, Tick. Tick is an insecure 15-year-old who many suspect is anarexic. She is also intelligent, warm, sweet, and a girl I'd probably fall for if I met in real life.
Tick's been going through a lot lately, especially with her parents recently breaking up. Miles, never wanted to leave Janice, even though Janice had an affair with Walt, a prick who is trying to form a friendship with Miles to save his own self-image (he doesn't like thinking of himself as a jerk, but he is, the jerk!). Janice doesn't even like Walt that much, but Walt was the first man to ever make her reach any real sexual satisfaction ("Walt had found the spot whose existence Miles had never even suspected"), and she seems to think that just might be the grounds for a relationship. Janice may sound horrible, but she's really just confused, and underneath it all, you get the feeling that she just might be a real sweetheart (I won't tell you if that turns out to be the truth.)
So Miles had a lot to deal with right now, including a kook (and drunk and degenerate) of a dad, and the memory of his mom who seems to be on his mind a lot lately (His mother is all of our mothers, and Russo writes about her with a son's unflinching love). There are also all these other amazing characters in this book that are so enchanting, and so real, you could swear they were your own friends and family, even though you might not be able to relate them to specific people in your life.
The only flaw with this novel was the plot. Don't get me wrong. This was a funny and honestly enjoyable book with a very good storyline. The only problem is it sometimes seemed to take too long for things to happen. Empire Falls is 483 pages. It probably could have standed to be about 100 pages less. Russo uses this extra space to allow the characters to become more cemented in your mind, which is very effective, but can get a little tiring at points.
I passed by that street vendor again the other day. I saw a collection of short stories by John Cheever that I wanted.
"How much," I asked as I picked up the copy.
"Four dollars."
I smiled. "I'll give you two."
"Two fifty," he said.
"Deal." I gave him three dollars and told him to keep the change. As I walked away with my book feeling thoroughly satisfied at how I handled myself, I thought of Miles and the ending of Empire Falls. It really did show me that life is full of the most wonderful surprises if you're willing to be bold enough to take a chance on yourself.
With Empire Falls, Richard Russo cements his reputation as one of America's most compelling and compassionate storytellers.Miles Roby has been slingin...More at HotBookSale
From his first novel, Mohawk, to his most recent, Straight Alan, Richard Russo has demonstrated great affinity for the tragicomic human condition, and...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.