Nobody's Fool

If you’re thinking “Another book review?!”, well you should blame Mrs. since she reads about 4-5 books for every one I read.  But the good news is that I’m going to do my best to condense all of my book review posts going forward.

In Richard Russo’s Nobody’s Fool, Donald “Sully” Sullivan is his own worst enemy.  Now in his early 60’s, Sully lacks ambition, finds himself out of work from his construction job, and spends much of his time insulting others and getting himself in trouble.  Stuck in a dying town in upstate New York, Sully is divorced, having a long time affair with a married woman, and trying to get permanent disability payments for a knee injury he suffered.  When his college professor son Peter returns home with news that he’s lost his job and on the verge of divorce, Sully is suddenly forced to confront his past, his failure as a parent, and the memory of his deceased father, a violent drunk.  Peter begins to take an interest in his estranged father and Sully is faced with the idea of forgiveness and has to decide if he is willing to make some changes in his life.

This was my third Russo novel, and I would put it smack dab in the middle.  It’s not nearly as great as the wonderful Empire Falls, but it’s better than the less than stellar That Old Cape Magic.  Interestingly, you can see a lot of parallels between Nobody’s Fool and Empire Falls, almost as if Russo was honing his skills on this earlier novel.  Sully shares many similarities to Miles Roby from Empire Falls, including a connection to an older woman (in this case Sully’s landlord Miss Beryl), an ex-wife, a dead end job in a decaying town, and a nemesis that he went to high school with in that small town.  There’s not very much plot in Nobody’s Fool; it’s more of a sketch of the town and Sully’s life in particular, but what makes the novel worth reading is the many cleverly drawn characters.  From Sully to his dimwitted friend Rub to Sully's former employer, the womanizing Carl Roebuck, and from diner owner Hattie to Miss Beryl and her conversations with her deceased husband's picture and the African mask on her wall, the novel is surprisingly full of laughs (even if it’s dry humor for the most part).  The book won’t go on any top ten list of mine, but it’s worth picking up as a good way to pass the time.

Next Up:  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte