‘Empire Falls’ showcases Russo’s unique style of writing

Empire Falls is a small, decaying town near the Maine coast. Robert Russo has chosen this setting for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, bringing it alive in its gradually fading state; contrasting its diner, the Empire Grill, and its many and various people with the Whitney mansion and its owner, the imperious Francine Whitney, who owns not only the diner but several decaying factories as well.

Living with her is her crippled daughter, in love with Miles Robys since high school (whose exact age, 39, she is), the proprieter of the diner.  Though Miles is a college graduate, he, knowing he couldn’t afford graduate school for a proper career, settled for the diner and for the last 20 years has been its proprieter – though Francine Whitney refuses to sell it to him or allow him to get a liquor license.

The main setting for the novel is the diner, but preceding the action there, is a long introduction in which Charles Whitney tells of his life, separate from his wife’s – once he finds out how imperious she is – a large part of which is spent in Mexico living as an artist, until he reluctantly returns to Maine to build a fortune, supressing his hatred of his wife.  He regularly tells people he has the last two words, which are: “Yes, dear.”

Meanwhile, Miles is about to lose his wife of 20 years – she prefers more sex with a ne’er-do-well, Walt Comeau – though Miles keeps his beloved daughter, Tick, who studies art in high school.

There is a motley crew at the diner, many family: his brother, David; his cash-hunting father, Max; and, early on, his own mother; his wife’s mother, Bea; and a crew of poker players.  Lots of action; lots of inter-action.

A raggedy, silent, strange boy, Voss, turns up; the superintendent of the high school has asked Tick if she wouldn’t share lunchtime with the outcast – and he also gets hired at the diner, until he disappears.

Early on, when Miles was nine, his mother takes him for a week on Martha’s Vineyard. There a stranger joins them, introducing them to all kinds of exotic dishes – clams casino, caviar- a most amiable man.

It is hinted that this is Charlie Wainright, with whom his mother had been in love – and he with her, for many years – though they rarely saw each other as he lived primarily in Mexico. Miles was never allowed to speak of him.

There is endless activity among the family: fights, loyalties, poker games generated by the character and personalities of the participants: fast-moving, sometimes unforgiving dialogue, sometimes fisticuffs.

And then there’s involvement with the church, its ministers, young and old – one a cash-hunting pal of Miles’ father, Max, with whom he sets off for Mexico.

Voss has mysteriously disappeared; his grandmother’s house is vacant.  This mystery occupies the last part of the book until, unexpectedly, he shows up.

A sprawling, fast-moving, complex, generational novel, written in Russo’s inimitable, unique style, it somehow includes fast-moving dialogue as well as atmosphere-building and a historical sense.

Book info:
Empire Falls
By Robert Russo
Vintage Books, $15

Other books by Russo:
Mohawk (1986)
Nobody’s Fool (1994)
The Risk Pool (1994)
Straight Man (1998)
The Whore’s Child and Other Stories (2003)
Bridge of Sighs (2008)
That Old Cape Magic (2010)

Posted by Rae Eastman on February 14, 2013. Filed under Arts and Entertainment,Book Reviews,Columns,Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry