I'm not a big fan of Russo's novels. Everyone thought I would love Straight Man, and it was okay, but I just didn't get that enthralled. The same for Empire Falls, I'm not sure I even finished that one. So, I was a little surprised this morning to be completely entranced by an interview with Russo on NPR. His new book, That Old Cape Magic, apparently deals with marriage, memory, and parents. Old ground for novelists. But I was struck by a few of his comments in the interview.
First, in the book, the main character is carting around the ashes of both his mother and father in the trunk of his car. As Russo commented, even after our parents die they are not that far away. How true. The ways in which are parents live on are myriad. Our own actions and behaviors are shaped by our childhood experiences, both in concert with and in reaction to our parents. We still turn to our parents, at least figuratively, as a source of advice or support, or in anger and misunderstanding.
He also touches on the role of storytelling. He commented in the interview that often new writers have trouble identifying the truth in the story they are writing. I liked his example of how in a long marriage you are likely to hear your partner tell the same story many times. Each time, however, the telling is slightly different and the audience, too. Different people will ask different questions, pick up on different points. Over time, hearing the story over and over, you can start to see the truth in that story, what that story means and represents.
So, maybe I'll need to read his latest book, give him another shot.
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