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Richard Russo's 1988 novel, "The Risk Pool," offers yet another remarkable example of how this exceptional author has the ability to take a story set in small-town America and transform it into a novel with magical and, at times, profound qualities. Russo accomplishes this mainly through the deep and humane development of a diverse range of captivating characters. He creates a narrative that is both funny and poignant, lovingly presenting the entire spectrum of human emotions. Of course, Russo has achieved this feat brilliantly in other novels as well, most notably in the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Empire Falls" and "The Bridge Of Sighs." However, it can be argued that he surpasses these efforts in "The Risk Pool." The novel tells the story of father and son, Sam and Ned Hall. Sam is a wild drunk who seems to have rejected everything worthwhile in his life, while Ned is a studious and reserved boy. Their antagonistic struggle for survival in Russo's fictional town of Mohawk is at the heart of the story. Russo's portrayal of the vulnerable Ned's ambivalence towards his father, especially after his mother's estrangement and breakdown, is truly outstanding. Yet, in terms of the narrative ambition of "The Risk Pool," Russo doesn't confine himself to just his two central protagonists. He has crafted a veritable Dickensian cast of brilliant characters. This includes Sam's nemesis, Drew Littler, the son of his 'girlfriend' Eileen, with whom he constantly battles for physical and emotional dominance. There's also Sam's pal, the negro Wussy, an apparent ne'er-do-well and waster, but a magnificently drawn literary figure whom young Ned takes a liking to. "The Risk Pool" reminds me, in various ways, of several of my favorite books and authors. In the way Russo captures the essence of youth, it calls to mind "To Kill A Mockingbird," Donna Tartt's "My Little Friend," and Mark Twain's writing. In terms of the depiction of ambition and the seemingly unachievable mansion-on-a-hill dream, it evokes "The Great Gatsby." And in the way Russo has assembled such a brilliant cast of characters, with a mixed-up but ambitious youth at the center, it is reminiscent of Dickens' "Great Expectations." High praise indeed.
