It's probably not fair to judge Richard Russo's new novel Chances are... (available July 30) against my own high expectations for Russo's work. Russo's novels are a masterclass in constructing layered narratives that deepen our understanding of character and situation. That layered narrative structure also results in beautifully crafted stories that loop back together by the end in ways that you can't imagine until you get there. Empire Falls is the best example, but Nobody's Fool, Straight Man, Everybody's Fool, and That Old Cape Magic all succeed as narratives that draw you in through humor, fully drawn characters, and masterfully constructed narratives.
Because of that, I was surprised that Chances Are... took an unusually long time for me to warm up to. We learn a lot about the characters in the first fifty pages or so, but I didn't really care about them or the situation they found themselves in. Jacy, a woman who was the love interest of all three of the main characters and has disappeared, definitely didn't seem compelling enough for the narrative to focus on. If I didn't have faith that Russo would pull it off, I might not have kept reading.
But he did. Perhaps not as brilliantly as in some of his other novels, but, about half-way in, the mystery of Jacy's disappearance gains momentum, primarily through a retired cop who deepens the suspense around what happened to her. By the end, I was absorbed in the story - if not in Jacy as a character. It feels as though Russo piles on extra helpings of tragedy in her life as a short cut to character development, which isn't entirely satisfying. On the other hand, the resolution of the narrative is satisfying.
On the whole, I don't think this is one of his best novels, but I did find myself swept up in the last half of the story.
If you've read it, let me know what you thought in the comments.
I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment