While Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo has already demonstrated his literary acumen with his previous novels (Empire Falls, Nobody's Fool), he proves he is equally adept at constructing short stories of serious quality and depth. His first collection of short fiction, The Whore's Child, is a rich summer read with complex characters and diverse plots.
In the compilation of short stories, Russo creates narrative accounts full of unique and original perspectives by recycling tired plots and transforming merely archetypal characters. From the narrative of a reluctant father figure who must save his daughter from her abusive husband to a film director reminiscing about past love, Russo oscillates among a variety of characters and situations with stunning skill and fluidity. The title story centers around a nun who innocently enrolls in a fiction workshop only to find herself face to face with painful truths discovered while completing her writing assignments. A remarkably well-constructed piece, it avoids the familiar shots at the Catholic Church. In his final installment, Russo examines a slew of daunting philosophical ideas from the unlikely point of view of a fifth grade little leaguer who is watching his parents' marriage dissolve. No matter the subject, the writing is always crisp and engaging.
Russo's greatest asset as a writer, however, is not merely inventing realistic and captivating stories. Rather, in each of his narrative accounts no matter how little they seem to share with his actual life, Russo reveals a piece of himself to the reader. In his keen self-awareness, he speaks to the reader through his fictional accounts in a way that demonstrates both his technical ability as well as a deeper understanding of himself as a writer and a man. Russo and his delicate, comic sensibility are indeed at the heart of each story.
- Leigh Wasserstrom
