The most impressive thing about Richard Russo is his ability
to write serious literature with so much humor. It’s like he’s able to grab
real people off the street, turn them into characters for a book, and mix in
all the real-life irony with the various personal and professional trails and
heartbreak we all confront. Straight Man is the story of a middle-aged creative
writing teacher at a middling university. He holds the interim title of
Department Chair, a position he neither really wants nor wants to lose. The
politics of a department ring true, at least from the professional experience I
have dealing with people and power. Of course, it’s higher education so budget
issues are part of the issue. Throw in the return of his estranged father – an academic
of high regard despite his penchant for sleeping with his students, consoling
his grown daughter through marriage problems, being temporary separated from
his wife, who is out of town for a job interview, and a handful of other side
issues, and Straight Man turns into a hysterical page turner. Oh, he also
threatens on Live TV to kill a duck a day until his department receives a
budget. Just awesome all over here. Read it. Trust me.
Up next: The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
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