Straight Man

Another engaging story from Richard Russo, following my previous review of Empire Falls.

This one is filled with humor. It's truly an academic novel, revolving around a 49-year-old professor (mid-life crisis perhaps?) at a lower-tier university, maybe a branch campus, in a bypassed town in Pennsylvania. He belongs to the "sandwich generation" with a wife he loves, who is a school principal, and two daughters. One married daughter lives in town, and they worry about her financial situation and the possibility of her being in an abusive relationship.

His mother also resides in town, and there's talk that his father, who is separated from her, may be moving back in. The main character's father haunts the book like a ghost and doesn't make a personal appearance until the end of the novel. His father was a "celebrity academic," well-published, constantly on the move with visiting professorships, and always accompanied by an attractive female grad student.

First, about the town, Railton, which is described as being "divided by the tracks into two unattractive halves." Church Street has lost all six of its churches. Yet, the faculty stay because "We quickly learned how much more it cost to live in places where people actually wanted to live."

The main character happens to be the English department chair for a year, not because he is especially well-liked or a talented administrator, but simply because it's his turn and the faculty view him as the lowest common denominator they can agree on. He is both anti-union and anti-administration, making enemies on both sides. He treasures his wise-ass reputation (hence the book's title), surviving on cynicism and the disparagement of almost everything and everyone.

Anyone who has been in academia will appreciate the accuracy of what Russo criticizes. The faculty is one of inertia and lost opportunity; some didn't finish their doctorates or their books; a few could have gone elsewhere years ago but didn't; now they are trapped in this small world of mutual bickering and disgust. Here are some examples:

Russo calls it an "atmosphere of distrust, suspicion, and retribution." We all know the quote attributed to Henry Kissinger (although many said it before him) about academic politics being so vicious because the stakes are so trivial. I also think of Stoner in John Williams' novel where his chairman held a grudge against him for twenty years over a trivial matter.

Regarding the endless faculty meetings, he can't remember the last time anyone changed their mind as a result of all the reasoned discourse; in fact, it seems as if the discussions only further entrench everyone in their original position.

All hiring procedures are dominated by political correctness. One young male professor with a ponytail corrects everyone's generic "he" so frequently that they call him "Orshee" behind his back.

The main character loves it when someone says "We're all reasonable people." His response is: "Name ONE!"

The main character published one novel 20 years ago, which his former chairman always referred to as his "collected works."

The faculty union rep tells him: "I know you think we [the union] defend incompetence, promote mediocrity." To which he replies: "I wish you WOULD promote mediocrity…[it's] a reasonable goal for our institution."

When it comes to the latest rumor that financial exigency will lead to the administration cutting tenured faculty, he says: "[Not] unless the faculty are going to be invited to drink Jim Jones Kool-Aid after the donkey basketball game and then buried in a mass grave."

A significant portion of his vitriol is directed at his ever-absent, pompous father.

The problem with the title "Distinguished Visiting Professor" is that "...it's hard to remain distinguished among people who know you."

His father received two attractive offers that led him to take a job at Columbia U; one from the university for a full professorship, and one from a young woman graduate student.

Regarding his father's best-selling book of literary criticism, he remarks that "everyone buys it, displays it, discusses it, without finding the time to actually read it."

A grad student corrects papers in his father's large class, but he grades papers from his tiny seminar himself. "That is, he placed a letter grade on them and for all anyone knew may even have read them."

Other passages I liked include:

"…two people who love each other need not necessarily have the same dreams and aspirations, but they damn well ought to share the same nightmares."

His younger daughter, "the least thoughtful but the most outspoken of his three feminists" (wife and two daughters), says "Menstruation always was the real red badge of courage."

"Rachael [his department secretary] is one of the half-dozen women on campus with whom I have to work at not falling in love."

"His mind was simply voided, as if the thoughts in his head were composed of iron filings and he was standing too close to a magnet."

All in all, it's great humor, a very good read, and an accurate snapshot of the academy. Russo was a faculty member at Southern Illinois and at Colby College, Maine. I'm giving it a 4, not a 5, because the humor, unlike in Empire Falls, sometimes degenerates into farce, almost slapstick. Still, it's highly recommended.

Photo of Richard Russo from wikipedia

Henry Devereaux Jr., the son of a renowned author, was once a famous author himself. Currently, he is the head of the English department at a small Pennsylvania college. He and the entire school are grappling with the issues of downsizing and budget constraints. It all seems rather mundane and unremarkable. However, things take a strange turn when Henry threatens to kill a duck every day until he gets his budget. This is when the surreal and comical adventure begins.

It's an excellent and hilarious read that keeps you engaged from start to finish. There are several quotes that really stand out. For instance, "It's later than it should be, and I'm farther gone than I should be, and the moment when I might have exerted my free will, held up my hands, and shouted 'No Mas!' to the cheering crowd is long past." This quote really captures a sense of regret and missed opportunities.

Another quote that I found interesting is, "It turns out that scrapple is like a lot of food that's conceptually challenging. That is, better than you might expect." It shows how our initial perceptions of things can often be wrong.

The statement "The fifties makes first basemen of us all" is also quite thought-provoking. Overall, I would rate this book an 8/10. I started reading it on 6/3/16 and finished on 6/19/16, which took me 17 days.

Richard Russo is truly one of my all-time favorite authors.

His books are invariably set in forlorn towns, revolving around dilapidated centers, those suffering blue-collar havens that are as podunk as can be, with sell-by-dates seemingly splashed all over them.

The people, towns, souls, and minds have long lost their initial charm and are slowly sliding into obscurity.

The atmosphere is always a touch depressing, and the stories unfold at a slow pace, with satirical social commentary serving as the mainstay of all conversations everywhere.

From the blurb, we learn that Richard Russo performs his characteristic high-wire act between hilarity and heartbreak.

The protagonist, William Henry Devereaux, Jr., is the reluctant chairman of the English department of a poorly funded college in the Pennsylvania rust belt.

His reluctance stems partly from his anarchist nature and partly from the fact that his department is more savagely divided than the Balkans.

In just one week, Devereaux will have his nose mangled by an angry colleague, suspect his wife is having an affair with his dean, wonder if a curvaceous adjunct is trying to seduce him with peach pits, and even threaten to execute a goose on local television.

All this while coming to terms with his philandering father, the failure to live up to his youthful promise, and the ominous failure of certain vital body functions.

In short, "Straight Man" is classic Russo - side-splitting and true-to-life, witty, compassionate, and impossible to put down.

I have never closed a book of his without feeling a sense of satisfaction.

There is a perfect blend of humor and sadness, and the story is a wonderful ode to mediocrity.

Russo knows how to apply malapropisms to the lives of his characters in his realistic fiction, making it all the more engaging.

In the city of Railton, Pennsylvania, forty-nine-year-old William Henry Devereaux, Jr. is a bit of a rogue.

He is considered an ingrate by Teddy Barnes, insane, unprincipled, and too idealistic by Dickie Pope, "Judas Peckerwood" by Billy Quigley, a "Beatnick" by Lou, a "Clever man" by his mother, and absentminded by the three feminists in his life - his wife Lily and his two daughters.

"A vague pain in the collective ass" - that's how the laissez-faire William Henry Devereaux, Jr. himself sums it up.

Yet, this doesn't stop the solipsistic professor from feeling like his dog, Occam - the fastest, the smartest, the bravest, especially in his dreams.

World-weary and always swimming upstream, he is difficult to move into action, except when faced with a urinary track problem.

His doctor diagnoses it as some sort of bladder hysteria.

He has all his bickering, gossiping colleagues in the English department irritated by his sardonic wit.

They scramble for positions, pursue their own agendas, backbite for recognition, fight petty battles, and slave away to their own superior ambitions, despite having little talent to support them.

They have been working together for twenty years and have basically overstayed their welcome in each other's lives.

This is a gentle character-based comedy about life in academe, filled with hilarious moments and sadness subtly interwoven in the characters' backstories.

But there is also "Animal rights thugs guarding the pond, sexual harassment lunches, the detoxing of Modern Languages. Something’s happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear."

Richard Russo should be read with an open mind.

The protagonist, Henry Devereaux, reminds me so much of Sully in his other books, and I absolutely love that kind curmudgeon!

Expect the unexpected and make the time to read his works. It's truly worth it.

3.5 stars.

This book had certain parts that I found truly interesting. There were some scenes that were extremely funny, making me burst out laughing. There were also moments that were filled with compassion, touching my heart. However, there were a few sections where I simply tuned out.

Russo's humor is of a wry and masculine nature. He often makes jokes at the expense of others. Students, females, academic colleagues, and even academia as a whole are targeted by his sharp wit. But at the same time, he also has a self-deprecating side.

I truly adore Russo as an author. However, I will probably always compare all of his works to "Empire Falls". That book set a very high standard, and it's a tough act to follow in my opinion.

Overall, this book had its highs and lows, but it still managed to keep my attention for the most part.

Twenty or thirty years ago, I was an avid reader of everything Russo penned. I simply couldn't get enough of his works.

Recently, I have been revisiting some of his novels, and to my surprise, I find myself having some reservations about the characters' world views. Of course, we can learn a great deal from characters with diverse perspectives, and I don't intend to pose the misguided "likability" question. However, I did feel that there was perhaps a bit too much of an assumption that the reader would identify with certain types of smug behavior and attitudes.

Most likely, I'm holding him to an unfair standard. There is no doubt that Russo is a master of the written word. He crafts beautiful sentences and vividly imagines communities in a deeply convincing manner, both the physical environment and the prevailing attitudes within them. His writing has the power to make you laugh out loud. "Nobody's Fool" was a book that I particularly adored. I also recall being truly impressed by his short story collection, "The Whore's Child," and I may revisit that one soon.

I picked up this particular novel because my family started watching "Lucky Hank," which is based on it. And I noticed that so many aspects didn't quite match my memory. This is partly because we now live in a very different world than when "Straight Man" was first published, but there were other changes as well. Due to the spoiler factor, I won't say anything more.

William Henry “Hank” Devereaux is the temporary chair of the humanities department at a not-so-great community college in Railton, PA, which is facing budget issues. Hank is quite a character, a bit of a scamp really, who struggles to take things seriously. As a result, this book is often uproariously funny, taking the reader on a wild romp through the senseless political infighting within academia, all while Hank is grappling with a midlife crisis.

He questions himself, wondering if he should fully embrace his current situation among his friends and colleagues or respectfully leave and seek out where he truly belongs. Others seem to come to terms with who they are and what they've become, but Hank can't seem to do the same. He feels like a contortionist, cramped up in the rafters, all to maintain the costly illusion that he's not like his father. He ponders if this pretense is worth the effort, and yet, he offers his father's own words in response: "You bet your ass."

This sums up the essence of Hank, and since this character is dear to my heart, I thoroughly enjoyed his story, even though it sometimes wandered and got a bit sidetracked by the details of academic infighting.

This book should be placed on the shelf beside the equally hilarious or perhaps even funnier, shorter, and more tightly written Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher. Both books are the perfect remedy when you're in need of a good laugh.

The Richard Russo books I’ve read have all been set in decaying New York mill towns. However, Straight Man takes a different turn as it is set in a decaying Pennsylvania railroad town.

In fact, it stands out from his other works quite significantly as it belongs to a different genre - it's a campus comedy, a genre typically associated with writers like David Lodge. Russo, as expected, does an excellent job with it.

William Henry Devereaux is a creative writing professor at a small state college. His colleagues are mostly mediocre, and so are his students. Devereaux is the temporary chair of the English Department while they search for a permanent head, and the university administration is hinting at layoffs. He finds himself caught between the administrators and the faculty, loved by neither side and assumed by each to be favoring the other.

Given his basic lack of leadership ability and temperament, this position is extremely uncomfortable for him. His body reacts in strange ways - he can't seem to urinate, he experiences near-blackouts, and his nose has been brutally ripped open like in Chinatown by an angry colleague (a bizarre accident as she only meant to hit him in the face with a spiral-bound notebook).

All of Russo's books start slowly and then build. Straight Man, being a comedy, builds more quickly and reaches a somewhat manic pace. This type of book depends on a rapid succession of events and tends to end abruptly. Russo doesn't deviate from this time-honored approach, and as a result, by the end, I was reading faster and faster, unable to put it down. It's a very funny book indeed.

That was a great pleasure. Funny, with depth, but also with the courage to be cheeky, philosophical, but also silly. Certainly not the last book that I will have read by Richard Russo.

This book truly stands out. It has a unique charm that combines various elements in a wonderful way. The humor is both witty and engaging, making it a joy to read. At the same time, the depth of the themes explored adds an extra layer of substance. The author's ability to be both philosophical and a bit silly creates a balance that keeps the reader entertained and思考ing.

I can't wait to explore more of Richard Russo's works. His writing style is captivating, and each book seems to offer something new and exciting. I'm sure that there are many more great reads in store for me from this talented author.