The Risk Pool

I really enjoyed this book, but I may have read it too soon after having read Russo's 'Mohawk' which took place in this same wonderful small forgotten upstate New York town. And that lead me to some occasional recollective confusion mixing up the back stories, but not to any serious detriment. Beautiful writing about some fascinating and believable characters, and I felt I was right there with Ned throughout the whole book. The book perfectly captures that universal sense of having to deal with the family hand we are dealt without letting them fully determine our own destiny. The father / son relationship Sam and Ned is a memorable one. This is my third Russo book and they all have a unique quality; an aftertaste of hopeful otpimism in spite of the time you have spent with quirky characters in less than ideal circumstances in fairly depressing settings...somehow we feel good as we share the simplicity of their efforts to survive and thrive in spite of what comes their way. I look forward to my next Russo. ( )

Ned Hall growing up in a small New York town is surrounded by flawed family and friends all struggling to get along - such wonderful characterisation - such perceptive comment on the human condition. I was totally mesmerized by this book and the life of Ned - humorous and sad and so true. I have to read more of Richard Russo. ( )

I've read all of Richard Russo's books, and this is his finest. Russo's characters are nuanced, and he gives an unforgettable depiction of people down on their luck in an upstate New York town that has also seen better days. No writer I've read portrays the father-son dynamic better than Russo, and that dynamic is epitomized here. ( )

Risk Pool, Richard Russo. Ned Hall grows older as his mother grows more brittle, his town grows more rusted, and his life goes astray. Part of Philandering Father Sam Hall played by a young, brash Johnny Cash.

Risk Pool rests entirely on the shoulders of its hard-ridden, rust-belt dwelling characters, grinding along on a relatively anemic plot (Boys becoming men! Men becoming wolves!). But have no fear. Russo’s characters are strong, complicated, and resilient. Why? Because Russo is (a) the messiah, (b) the one author who didn’t dream of boobies all through Freshman Creative Writing Seminar, and (c) seriously, like the Second Coming of Christ Jesus. He has the rare knack for the cadences and rhythmic peculiarities of human dialogue, human interaction, and just plain humans in general. Did I mention that dialogue and zestful character interaction is my Achilles heel? WELL IT IS.

However, Risk Pool is Russo’s second novel, and it's not without fault. The middle occasionally sags in pacing. There are also a few near brushes with Deep Thoughts and Advanced Navel-Gazing, but the worst of it just grazes the plot, and the novel escapes unscathed for the most part. Risk Pool ends graceful, bittersweet, and wryly hilarious. Read it. ( )

I love Russo’s books, especially Empire Falls and Nobody’s Fool. Russo’s debut, about a small-time hustler trying to raise his kid the best he can, goes right up there with the other two as my favorites. This year I also read Russo’s Straight Man, about office politics between college professors. It too was very good - maybe his funniest book - but it was not as good as the Risk Pool. ( )