Review: 'Bridge of Sighs' slow, but a good read
Sarah Ruholl / Staff Reporter
Issue date: 10/24/08 Section: The Verge
3½ of 5 stars
Richard Russo's latest novel, "Bridge of Sighs," is a departure from his familiar form but not a change of sensibilities.
The tale is set in a fictional upstate New York town called Thomaston.
The town has the seedy bars, a greasy diner and closed tanneries found in Mohawk, another fictional New York town familiar to fans of the writer.
These working class towns are familiar territory to Russo, who hails from the factory town of Gloversville, N.Y.
The people in his stories are richly developed.
Russo is a master of the human spirit, and he knows his subjects well.
The graces and inner demons of his characters are equally on display.
"Sighs" is Russo's first release since his 2002 Pulitzer Prize winner "Empire Falls." "Falls" was set in a similar town of the same name.
With "Sighs," Russo takes his typical fare of intricately detailed portraits of small town life and layers it with touches of Europe and New York City.
The story's central character Lou C. "Lucy" Lynch is kindhearted and a bit of an innocent, even at the age of 60.
Lucy and his wife of 40 years, the vivacious Sarah Berg, are preparing for a European vacation.
The highlight of the trip is to be a visit to Venice, home of the actual Bridge of Sighs as well as Lucy's childhood best friend Bobby Marconi, now known as Robert Noonan, a world class painter.
The impending trip is causing Lucy to begin having the "spells" that plagued his childhood after a traumatic experience in which bullies from his town shut him in a trunk for several hours.
Lucy's unwillingness to fight back and the fear that kept him from opening the lid for so many hours is a recurring theme in his life.
In an attempt to prepare for a reunion with Bobby, the center of a peculiar love triangle with Lucy and Sarah, Lucy decides to write the story of his hometown as it involved various members of the extended Lynch family.
This memoir is a handy literary device that allows Russo to elaborate on past events.
Lucy's doting father, harsh realist mother and black sheep uncle work together to make a corner grocery survive in a changing economy.
The store becomes a second home to the Lynch family as well as Sarah and Bobby.
The shop is where they all go when life goes wrong.
It is here that Russo loses his grip on the book. Too many major events overshadow each other.
A racially charged beating, ambiguous homosexuality and a strange drug bust among others are much more controversial themes than the book has room for.
The overall story feels like it is trying to hard to shock.
The pressure for Russo to deliver another great novel was high.
"Bridge of Sighs" falls short of "Empire Falls" but does not disappoint.
It is a slow, heavy read, but worth it in the end.
Richard Russo's latest novel, "Bridge of Sighs," is a departure from his familiar form but not a change of sensibilities.
The tale is set in a fictional upstate New York town called Thomaston.
The town has the seedy bars, a greasy diner and closed tanneries found in Mohawk, another fictional New York town familiar to fans of the writer.
These working class towns are familiar territory to Russo, who hails from the factory town of Gloversville, N.Y.
The people in his stories are richly developed.
Russo is a master of the human spirit, and he knows his subjects well.
The graces and inner demons of his characters are equally on display.
"Sighs" is Russo's first release since his 2002 Pulitzer Prize winner "Empire Falls." "Falls" was set in a similar town of the same name.
With "Sighs," Russo takes his typical fare of intricately detailed portraits of small town life and layers it with touches of Europe and New York City.
The story's central character Lou C. "Lucy" Lynch is kindhearted and a bit of an innocent, even at the age of 60.
Lucy and his wife of 40 years, the vivacious Sarah Berg, are preparing for a European vacation.
The highlight of the trip is to be a visit to Venice, home of the actual Bridge of Sighs as well as Lucy's childhood best friend Bobby Marconi, now known as Robert Noonan, a world class painter.
The impending trip is causing Lucy to begin having the "spells" that plagued his childhood after a traumatic experience in which bullies from his town shut him in a trunk for several hours.
Lucy's unwillingness to fight back and the fear that kept him from opening the lid for so many hours is a recurring theme in his life.
In an attempt to prepare for a reunion with Bobby, the center of a peculiar love triangle with Lucy and Sarah, Lucy decides to write the story of his hometown as it involved various members of the extended Lynch family.
This memoir is a handy literary device that allows Russo to elaborate on past events.
Lucy's doting father, harsh realist mother and black sheep uncle work together to make a corner grocery survive in a changing economy.
The store becomes a second home to the Lynch family as well as Sarah and Bobby.
The shop is where they all go when life goes wrong.
It is here that Russo loses his grip on the book. Too many major events overshadow each other.
A racially charged beating, ambiguous homosexuality and a strange drug bust among others are much more controversial themes than the book has room for.
The overall story feels like it is trying to hard to shock.
The pressure for Russo to deliver another great novel was high.
"Bridge of Sighs" falls short of "Empire Falls" but does not disappoint.
It is a slow, heavy read, but worth it in the end.
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