The author has skill. The text was readable and kept my interest. The lead character, "Donald 'Sully' Sullivan," has some of the worst character traits a man can have. He does not apologize for his actions. If someone asks him NOT to do something that guarantees he will do it. He treats women horribly. He sucker punches. He steals. He is too proud to accept help. He abandoned his children. He poisons dogs. He forgets he has his grandson with him. He drinks and gambles too much. I want to watch the movie starring Paul Newman. Maybe I will understand Sully's actions when I see them.
2,458 members; 4.17 average rating; 3/26/2024 ( )

A plethora of colorful characters set in improbable situations: comedy, ethos ensues. Russo saves the mess by being a sharp judge of character and an especially insightful writer about men. ( )

I just have one question: Does Sully own a watch or not? ( )

I've been thinking of reading this author for some time, and I'm so glad I finally did. The writing is delicious and accessible, and the characters in this story really stay with you. Sully is the 'fool' in the story, damaged by his childhood and a regrettable tendency to do exactly what he shouldn't, even when he knows his choices are wrong. But he has friends - his 80 year old landlady Beryl Persons, his on-again, off-again lover Ruth, his work partner Rub, his lawyer Wirf, his sometime employer Carl, his long-absent son Peter. He's nursing a bad knee, a broken family and a disability claim. But he is generous and even kind in his own way.

The town of North Bath in upstate New York is emblematic of the decline of small towns everywhere, when one inexplicable change can ruin an economy. But people stay, perhaps because their web of connections is strong.

I almost gave up on this book about 50 pages in, wondering why I should care about such a ne'er-do-well, self-destructive man, but my book group was reading it so I persevered, and not long after that became another of Sully's supportive friends.

There are two sequels - I'll be sure to read on. ( )

“Maybe Sully’s young philosophy professor at the college had been right. Maybe free will was just something you thought you had. Maybe Sully’s sitting there trying to figure out what he should do next was silly. Maybe there was no way out of this latest fix he’d gotten himself into. Maybe even the trump card he’d been saving, or imagined he was saving, wasn’t in his hand at all. … Still, Sully felt the theory to be wrong. It made everything slack. He’d never considered life to be as tight as some people…made it out to be, but it wasn’t that loose either.” - Richard Russo - Nobody's Fool

Deep character study about a self-destructive stubborn man, his family and friends, living in a small town in upstate New York in the mid-1980’s. Donald “Sully” Sullivan is a sixty-year-old construction worker who has recently injured his knee and is collecting partial disability but wants to get back to work. We follow Sully as he experiences one of his “stupid streaks,” where nothing goes right for him. Sully’s adult son and his family come to town, further complicating his life. Sully battles his demons, stemming from abuse at the hands of his now-deceased father. Themes include the cycle of abuse, trust, change, free will, and responsibility. Russo is a keen observer of human behavior and is adept at describing human foibles. His male characters are particularly well-developed, with the females serving primarily as foils for their dysfunctional relationship issues.

This book requires a bit of patience. Russo begins by describing the Adirondack area of New York, then zooms in on the small town of North Bath, then narrows the focus to the building where Sully lives in a flat upstairs from his octogenarian landlady. The author excels at creating a sense of community. We follow Sully in the rhythms of his typical day and get to know his local haunts: Hattie’s for breakfast, his boss’s office for the day’s odd job, the OTB where he places his daily wager, and The Horse for drinks after work with his cronies.

The rather thin plotline revolves around a banker attempting to close a deal for an amusement park and a lawyer trying to gain full disability for his reluctant client, Sully. This novel contains lots of adolescent behavior from so-called adults, and the reader gradually becomes aware of the reasons behind what, on the surface, appears to be mean-spiritedness. It follows the cycle of physical and emotional abuse and its impact on the self-esteem of three generations of males, though it takes place within the space of only a few weeks.

I found it most successful when examining freedom of choice and personal responsibility. How much of life is based on talent, actions, luck, or fate? While Sully shows some character growth, I would have preferred more. I also found it rather lengthy for a novel where not a lot happens. Recommended to those with a preference for slowly-developing character-driven stories that comment on interpersonal relationships, especially fathers and sons. ( )