Empire Falls

Richard Russo’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel Empire Falls is set in the dying town of Empire Falls, Maine, a blue-collar town once dominated by the Whiting family and their textile factory. The main character is Miles Roby, who runs the local Empire Grill and, like many of town’s residents, finds himself stuck in the small town where he grew up. The story takes place in both the present and flashbacks to Miles’ childhood and his return to Empire Falls from college to be with his dying mother. Miles is struggling with his pending divorce, trying to provide for his teenage daughter Christina (with the unfortunate nickname “Tick”), and dealing with Francine Whiting, the wealthy widow of the family that still owns most of the town, including the Empire Grill. There are too many plot lines to summarize them all, but Russo successfully weaves all of the stories together.

Of all the books I’ve reviewed on this blog, Empire Falls has been my favorite. It was definitely worthy of a Pulitzer Prize. One of the many things I loved about this book is Russo’s style, which made it easy to zoom through an almost 500 page novel. He creates a memorable cast characters, and does a great job of developing even the minor ones. I could relate to the characters and even though they all have their flaws, each is also sympathetic. It’s the kind of book that I think would be interesting to dissect in a class or book club. The novel is filled with symbolism, with the deteriorating town mirroring the lives of many of the residents. Miles’ soon to be ex-wife Janine thinks the grass will be greener after her divorce, just like many of the characters think that getting out of Empire Falls would improve their lives. But even worse are those holding on to the irrational hope that the town will magically recover from the closing of the factories, mirroring those resigned to remain stuck in the abusive relationships we see in various forms. But even if you miss all of this symbolism, it's still a interesting story.

If I had any criticism (and I hate to even call it that) it would be that the book’s climactic event, about 100 pages from the end, seemed a little forced. It was almost as if Russo felt something needed to happen. However, it did fit into the story and was definitely foreshadowed, so perhaps it was just the particular act that served as the climax that was difficult for me. It didn’t change the fact that the novel was well worth recommending as an intelligent, sometimes sad, often humorous observation of life in a small town.

Another great thing about Empire Falls is that it served as my introduction to Richard Russo. One of my favorite things is discovering an author I like and knowing that I now have a list of books to look forward to. From my Michael Crichton addiction in high school, to devouring everything by Kurt Vonnegut in college and my early 20’s, to Anne Rice’s vampires, and more recently Cormac McCarthy’s difficult but rewarding novels, I’ve always loved having authors I could count on. So the good news is that Russo has six other novels I can now add to my reading list. And that includes Nobody’s Fool, which I purchased recently as part of a book buying spree to use up gift cards before the local Borders closed.

Next Up: Angel Time by Anne Rice