Empire Falls

Genre: Fiction

Miles Roby is in his 40's. His daughter, Tick, is in high school and is splitting her time between Miles' home and her mother's. Janine and Miles are newly divorced and Janine has taken with a new man, Walter. Tick is uncomfortable with him and does all she can to avoid him and Janine. At school, she befriends a misfit, John, who is terribly bullied by other kids. Miles's brother, David, is a recovering drug addict who is also working with Miles at the Empire Grill (they will hire John, Tick's friend to work at the grill, too), the town's diner. Miles's and David's father is a ne'er-do-well and moocher who takes advantage of anyone and everyone who crosses his path, including his children. Miles's and David's mother passed away when Miles was in college. She was, by all accounts, a beautiful woman who fell apart when she learned that her love and savior, and her boss, wasn't going to leave his wife, Francine Whiting, to be with her. Francine is the hub upon which the whole town spins. See, Francine's husband killed himself, leaving her (and their daughter who has physical impairments after a tragic accident) a fortune and the ability (and desire) to control the entire town. As the town's stories slowly unfold, these characters' lives will all become interconnected and tangled in some very tragic events. This is a story about people's humanity and how it is so closely related to and affected by their life experiences, and sometimes to luck.

I read this book as a recommendation from a colleague. I wanted so much to like it because she gave it high praise, but I think it was just ok. There's nothing wrong with this story, but I think it's just not my cup of tea. Russo does a phenomenal job being the observer of his characters' lives and weaving his characters' nuanced stories together. His writing feels old fashion-y (a la F. Scott Fitzgerald, maybe). There is so much detail that you will feel like you know these characters really well, and you really do. But, I love the stories where authors gently teach you lessons or gently guide you to a specific conclusion they want you to reach about their characters' experiences. Authors like Fredrik Bachman, Elizabeth Strout, Lily King, and more. Russo, as I said, remained an observer, and while it was enjoyable enough, it won't stay with me, and I think I won't return to this author again. I will however, try to watch the HBO miniseries from 2005 to see how they handled the storyline.