whose 鈥淔ool鈥� trilogy is beloved for the characters he created to populate a fictional upstate New York town, freely admits he鈥檚 always pulled from his real life to write his novels. 鈥淚 was born in exactly the right place at exactly the right time,鈥� he writes in one of 12 essays that make up his slim new volume 鈥淟ife and Art.鈥�
Russo scholars 鈥� there must be some in American literature departments somewhere, right? 鈥� will devour this book. Russo writes lovingly of both his father and mother, draws explicit connections between his characters and people from his real life, takes a road trip back to his hometown Gloversville, and even throws in an homage to whose portrayal of Sully in his 鈥淣obody鈥檚 Fool鈥� helped Russo鈥檚 work find an audience well beyond readers.
The 12 essays here are divided into the two parts noted in the title. 鈥淟ife鈥� is more memoir, with Russo sharing what he did during the among many other things. 鈥淚鈥檇 been waiting for more than a decade鈥� for somebody to tell me to go home and stay there, and somebody finally had.鈥� The first half is stuffed with stories about his mother and father, anchored by 鈥淢arriage Story,鈥� which reveals the illnesses they both suffered (gambling and alcoholism for Dad, anxiety for Mom) and how the dream life his mother envisioned after her husband survived World War II never materialized (鈥淪he and my father stalled.鈥�). But Russo doesn鈥檛 write to assign blame. At age 75 and with both parents buried, he takes a more thoughtful approach in these essays. Not yet a teenager when Dad left, he realizes now that Mom was just doing what he does for a living as a storyteller 鈥� controlling the narrative.
Aspiring writers should appreciate the advice Russo doles out in these pages. He credits his childhood and the people who loved him as his 鈥済reatest strength鈥� 鈥� 鈥淟ike Faulkner, I鈥檇 been gifted the perfect lens through which to view America鈥� 鈥� and tells would-be authors, 鈥淣o matter how gifted you are, or how hardworking, you鈥檙e never going to be any good until you know who and what you love, because until then you won鈥檛 know who you are.鈥�
The second half of the collection 鈥� 鈥淎rt鈥� 鈥� is a more acquired taste, with an essay about writing movies and TV shows vs. books, as well as a rather odd one that finds life lessons in the 1969 film 鈥淏utch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,鈥� starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. There鈥檚 another that heaps praise on the specific word choices contained in the lyrics to the 1972 Townes Van Zandt song 鈥淧ancho and Lefty,鈥� and another that finds echoes of society鈥檚 reaction to in a scene from 鈥淭he Maltese Falcon.鈥� Considered all together, readers can judge if the essays, like the collection鈥檚 title, truly inform each other, or if it鈥檚 enough to simply enjoy these snippets before Russo graces the world with another novel.
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AP book reviews:
Rob Merrill, The Associated Press
