About Empire Falls

Post 1577:

                  A novel can be great for a bunch of reasons. If we’re going to say Empire Falls is a great novel, I guess we have to figure out how the Pulitzer type folks might’ve been judging it.

                  I wouldn’t say it’s a great or even good story, but there are lots of good stories in it. I wouldn’t even say it’s entertaining, though at times it’s more fulfilling than entertainment, offering an escape to a place that can be extremely funny, sad, tragic, or all of the above. I guess it’s like life, only not yours, and in the form of a book some guy made up and wrote down.

                  If we’re going solely on prose, I have to say well done. Accessible and simple. For the most part, anyway. Russo does have some massive sentences that feel like highway pileups. Not too many. And keep in mind, it’s a large book. Perfection through every paragraph is a nutty demand, though I’ve read critics that demand it just the same and contend that he is a garbage writer. That’s crazy. It could be argued that he might possess more wit (at times) than he can consistently put to page. I might say that. I probably wouldn’t be all arguey about it though.

So after praising the prose, I’ll contradict myself by denouncing the length. There are too many words. I’m not asking for tight. Just something a bit more aerodynamic.  

                  I noticed that most of the characters are way more consistent than real people. Miles, the protagonist, has an ex-wife who is incredibly unlikeable and belligerent about damn near everything. He’s a pretty nice dude and the idea that he was ever married to her strains credulity, even though Russo does a nice job of writing his way out of it and making it a somewhat palatable notion. His father is a complete mooch who makes a living out of not caring about anything except getting the next beer or the next ride or the next whatever. Then again, maybe there is a little more charity to the old guy than we’re able to see, mostly because we experience him from the perspective of his understandably weary son.

                  Even if characters like the dad and the ex can be called one-dimensional, one might, in the interest of fairness, grant that they are written this way for effect. Whether we like it or not is up to us.

                  Here’s what I appreciate about this award-winning novel that I don’t like about some with similar accolades: Empire Falls isn’t taking itself as seriously as it might. Even the dark stuff is undercut with cynical humor. The language isn’t so lofty as to require a course in high-balls-pretentious-thick-glasses-nerdery. It tries to impress things upon you, little revelations regular people have while living regular lives, but isn’t overly-concerned with being impressive. Is it preachy? Maybe, a bit. It makes proclamations, but it never feels heavy-handed to me. Miles is the perfect protagonist for us to see this world through. He’s very observant and self-aware, trying to withhold judgment and be a good guy, lacking the blinders required to do so.

                  This book made me feel like I was a member of the community. It had me laughing  out loud more than once. Regular people are weird and crap and funny and Russo does a great job making us realize it, writing something like realism but not exactly. Remember, it is fiction. Lotta nerds want ultra-reality from their literature. Sometimes, sure. Sometimes, I’ll take an approximation.

                  What is it about? Well, I think the title nails it. The town is in decline. The good old days are gone and probably never will return, if they ever existed at all. Things aren’t working out. Something vibrant and full of possibility is now a shadow of its former self. It’s all about holding on, keeping your chin up, making the most, that sort of thing. There’s a general sense of gallows humor that permeates the pages. Not sure if it’s a “statement” on America at the turn of the 21st century but it certainly can be read as one. It can also be read as good book that shows us a world full of interesting characters whose interactions entertain and teach and frustrate.

                  I enjoyed it. It’s probably too long. The surprise shock ending feels a little forced and bit out of nowhere, but perhaps the random nature of small-town tragedy is the point. I will remember Empire Falls. Despite the sadness and the regrets and the lack of sunshine, I was always glad to go back there. Sure, sometimes it’s a tad mopey. But I like mopey. I’m a big moper, myself. One time I moped for three years straight. I thought it was allergies. Nah. The mopes. You just never know, you know?

                  Cheers and see you after.