26. Straight Man

Straight Man. Richard Russo. 1997.

Straight Man (Natalie): I read this book without much distraction, so there was definitely something there that pulled me in and kept me engaged. The story of a liberal academic white professor born to the same, he doesn’t really get it and doesn’t want to. It’s hard for me to get excited about a book (or show, i.e. House of Cards where the only characters I like at all died early) where I fundamentally do not like or related to any of the characters. Good enough read, but I’m not recommending it.

Recommended by Natalie: It's not new at all but Straight Man by Richard Russo- laugh-out-loud story about an English prof
​Me: Added. No requirement that it has to be new at all. I’ll read anything.
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Comments: 
John:  "[D]o not like or fundamentally relate to any of the characters" is something I think of as a hallmark of Russo'a stories. It's actually something I really like about him, particularly in Straight Man (my favorite of his work), as well as Nobody's Fool. At his best, I think Russo is able to take the flaws of his characters and weave the regrets, blind spots, and consequences that arise from those flaws into portraits that are often as generous and loving as they are detailed and unsentimental.
John: The scene in Straight Man where the protagonist, Hank, goes to meet his daughter after she separates from her husband came from a much darker short story, "The Farther You Go". The shorter story is told by a version of Hank who has himself made a number of worse life choices, and there is much more tangible pain in the narrative.
John: If the point was to do this on purpose, then he was successful for sure. I think I like books where there are characters I love and can relate to. Why spend my fantasy life with people I can't stand?

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