Trajectory

by Richard Russo

Russo's characters in these four expansive stories bear little similarity to the blue-collar citizens we're familiar with from many of his novels. In "Horseman," a professor confronts a young plagiarist as well as her own weaknesses as the Thanksgiving holiday looms closer and closer: "And after that, who knew?" In "Intervention," a realtor facing an ominous medical prognosis finds himself in his father's shadow while he presses forward--or not. In "Voice," a semiretired academic is conned by his increasingly estranged brother into coming along on a group tour of the Venice Biennale, fleeing a mortifying incident with a traumatized student back in Massachusetts but encountering further complications in the maze of Venice. And in "Milton and Marcus," a lapsed novelist struggles with his wife's illness and tries to rekindle his screenwriting career, only to be stymied by the pratfalls of that trade when he's called to an aging, iconic star's mountaintop retreat in Wyoming.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Adult, Short Story Collection

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 2, 2017

About the author

RICHARD RUSSO is the author of seven previous novels; two collections of stories; and Elsewhere, a memoir. In 2002 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Empire Falls, which like Nobody’s Fool was adapted to film, in a multiple-award-winning HBO miniseries.

Reviews

[Larry H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm between 4 and 4.5 stars here.

Some authors make you wait a while between books. In some cases, it's a L-O-N-G while. And then, sometimes, the fates smile upon us—in just about a year we've gotten not only Everybody's Fool (see my original review) from Richard Russo, but now we have Trajectory , a collection of four stories, which again show why he is a writer to be reckoned with.

But don't be fooled into thinking that because Trajectory contains only four stories, it will be a quick, breezy read. That is not the case. Nearly 260 pages in length, these stories have heft, complexity, and emotional depth. Each of the stories have their roots in Russo's oft-visited New England (although a portion of one story is set in Venice, home of his beautiful novel Bridge of Sighs ), and feature characters at emotional crossroads.

I really enjoyed all four stories, although I struggled a little bit with the longest of the four, "Voice," in which a former academic recovering from a professional catastrophe agrees to accompany his estranged brother on a trip to Venice, and finds their relationship has disintegrated even more than he imagined. I liked the story but it shifted back and forth from Venice to the narrator's academic crisis a little too often, and I'm never enamored of books whose plot turns on a failure to communicate.

The other three stories were tremendously moving, and I had a hard time picking a favorite. The stories were: "Intervention," about a realtor facing a major medical crisis who is reminded of his father's being in the same position years before—and he wonders if he should follow his father's actions; "Milton and Marcus," in which a once-semi-successful writer is enticed by an elderly movie star to revive a script he wrote years ago, only to be bewildered by the racket of show business; and "Horseman," which tells of a college professor unnerved by both professional and personal challenges, and unsure what her next step should be on both fronts.

I've always said that the mark of a good story is when I find myself thinking about what happened to the characters after the story ends, and wishing I could read a novel just with those characters. Each of the stories in Trajectory fall in those categories, both because I became so enamored of the characters, and I would have loved to get more of their backstories.

I have loved Richard Russo since I picked up Mohawk in 1986. I have read every one of his books since then, and even when they don't quite click, I can't get enough of his storytelling. I just hope the embarrassment of riches we've experienced this year doesn't mean an even longer wait for his next book!!

See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ stars

My first Richard Russo novel was Empire Falls and while it’s still my favorite of his after reading almost every one of them, they all bear his keen insight into the human condition from the profound to the sometimes hilarious. This collection is a departure from the small town settings that appear in most of his novels. But these stories are as full of that insight, with characters that are ordinary, real and relatable in their vulnerabilities. This collection illustrates perfectly why Richard Russo is one of my favorite writers. These are not the kind of short stories that left me wanting as some short fiction does, rather they end in a way that left me thinking about the challenges that life brings and how we face them, and what our past means in the process.

There are four stories, three of short story length and one longer that I would consider a novella. These are different stories without any real connection, but there are some things that they have in common. There are experiences in their pasts that burden them in some way and affect their varied troubled relationships, causing them to evaluate themselves in the present. In “Horseman”, a professor has to confront a student for plagiarism. Remembering an experience from her past, inspires her to find a solution as well as one to perhaps heal the relationship with her husband and autistic son.

“Voice” is more of a novella about two estranged brothers on an art tour in Venice . A traumatic event in their lives as children, the rift between them and a recognition and coming to terms with the present, once they can see what is before them is the heart of this.

“Intervention” is also about relationships that seem on shaky ground - a husband and wife dealing with his cancer diagnosis, friends, brothers bringing back their past relationship with their father.

“Milton and Markus”
An aging novelist, with a wife who is ill tries to make a way into the cutthroat side of Hollywood screenwriting. It not a pleasant situation and the end result is that he reevaluates who he is after a flashback to an event in his past.

There’s nothing more I can say , except if you haven’t read Richard Russo, you’re missing out. He’s a master at his craft!

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only read one other book by this author, don't remember which one but remember I didn't like it all that much. Now, after reading these, I think I may have to try another because I enjoyed these stories and his writing. Four stories, though one is so long it could be considered novella length. People looking back on something that happened in the past, and now middle aged they reconsider how they act in the present and future, seems to be the common theme.

The first two stories were my favorites and both concern Professors, though one is now retired. In the Horsemen, a woman professor, with an autistic child, reconsiders something a professor once told her in her college days, advice at that time that she dismissed. Now reconsidering in the light of her marriage and disconnection she has to her child. Very well done and his writing made this soul searching dilemma quite realistic and poignant.

In the Voice, a retired professor on a trip to Venice, with a brother he never really got along with due to past circumstances within the family, attempts to make sense of the estrangement, as well as his brothers actions on the trip. A bad experience with a student in his class also figures in his musings. He meets new people on the trip, and in light of a possible new relationship he comes to decisions about his past and how he will handle the future.

Russo seems like a natural born storyteller, his writing flows, with often insightful comments mixed with humorous antidotes. His dialogue is fantastic, natural sounding and realistic within the circumstances these characters find themselves. I really enjoyed these stories, just good solid writing and plotting.

RC from publisher.

[Guille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soy muy fan de Russo, lo soy desde que lo descubrí precisamente en otro de sus libros de relatos, «La hija de la puta y otros cuentos» , que, por si les interesa, es un volumen de cuentos maravilloso. Después he leído dos de sus novelas que me han parecido magníficas. Richard Russo parecía un tiro seguro y así me lo siguió pareciendo en los dos primeros relatos del libro, «Jinete» y «Voz», pero la flecha no llegó ni a tocar diana en ninguno de los otros dos que completan el libro. Todos, más o menos, responden a la metáfora de la imagen de portada, una diana con varias flechas clavadas y todas lejos del centro. Así están estos personajes, lejos del centro de lo que debería haber sido el final de sus trayectorias, y se preguntan por qué, cómo han llegado ahí y si realmente se lo merecían.

Dos de cuatro: dos estrellitas y media sería lo justo, pero subo a tres por el cariño que le tengo al autor y porque esos dos primeros cuentos se lo merecen.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Richard Russo and have read all his books except "Everybody's Fool", and that is on my tbr for sure. I was first on my library's waiting list for this, so got an early start.
These are 4 longish short stories that read like novels. By that I mean you don't feel cheated at the end because you wanted more, each story is complete and satisfying. That's a good description of all Russo's books. They satisfy.
My favorite story is "Milton and Marcus", about a writer who is summoned by a big movie star to continue work on a screenplay he had written years ago for another star, now deceased. The two characters are very thinly veiled portrayals of Robert Redford and Paul Newman. That was a fun one. Russo actually worked with both stars at different times.
Recommended for all current fans of Richard Russo, and also for those who are new to his work.

[switterbug (Betsey) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Russo’s characters in these four stories are on the road to self-discovery, but self-deception still lurks around every corner. What stands out in each one is the yearning to become the author of one’s own life. Rather than the author’s vintage brand of comic blue-collar, the individuals here are college-educated, neurotic, and ambivalent. There are witty undertones, absolutely, but the narratives are imbued with tragic irony rather than rowdy shenanigans.

In “Horseman,” which is 36 pages, a college professor confronts a student for plagiarizing, but nagging her in the shadows is a meeting years ago in grad school, when a professor outs her for being a fraud, for not expressing her own passionate, personal connection to what she writes. What she lacks is an elusive element inside her facile synthesis and perfect construction, her own self-expression.

My favorite, “Voice,” at almost 100 pages, was apparently published several years ago as “Nate in Venice,” but this was my first reading. Nate, in his sixties, is a competent but unexceptional literature professor. After a year of isolation and depression, following a very disturbing incident with a damaged, talented student, Opal Mauntz, he joins his charismatic, swindling older brother, Julian, and a Biennale group in Venice. Events that led up to Nate’s undoing are gradually disclosed, while he simultaneously unravels in Venice, exacerbated by the dizzying zigzag walkways. Underscoring his confusion is the resentment of living in his brother’s shadow, failing to assert his own voice. Yet, he had felt confident that he could help Opal find hers, although she won’t speak, but whose essence emerges lucidly and genuinely through her work. He is engulfed in apprehension and loss of control.

“Surely a drowning man, exhausted and alone on a sea of self-doubt and recrimination, is at some point allowed to welcome the water into his lungs.”

A struggling real estate agent in Maine, faced with a serious medical diagnosis, is haunted by childhood events, particularly his father’s satisfaction with a journeyman’s life and income. In “Intervention,” Ray must reconcile whether indecision or stubbornness is paralyzing him from moving forward. And, in “Milton and Marcus,” a has-been novelist, Ryan, is called to an aging but big-name actor’s house to discuss a decade-old script that the protagonist wrote for a now-dead actor. His daughter’s phone calls from home remind the writer that he prioritized this meeting above staying home with his wife, who is undergoing chemo. Ryan, who acknowledges that screenwriters are “hirelings” compared to the producers, directors, and actors, strives for distinction.

These stories are a must-read for Russo fans, although I don’t know if all of them are previously published, like “Voice.” In either case, this collection brought me back on board to the short story, which I usually avoid in my preference for novels. However, Russo generously opens up each narrative so that I didn’t feel cheated on content. Although the focus was evidently on one main character, secondary characters rose from the pages, too, and caught my full attention. Oscar Wilde famously said, “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” Russo gives credence to the longing and the thirst for people to be themselves.

[Lisa (NY) · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are the kind of short stories I like - with robust, conflicted characters involved in life situations so engrossing that I wanted more. I especially love when Russo writes about academia as in Horseman, my favorite of the collection.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my first book by Russo, this has been interesting reading. Each lead character, two from academia, one a realtor, the last a writer, finds him or her self immersed in a situation that reveals truths about their lives, their relationships, even basic aspects of their selves.

My favorites of the four stories are Horseman and The Voice. Both involve academics but at different stages in their careers. One is learning reasons for her dread of the horseman in a poem, reasons tied to the essence of her identity. In the Voice, a man fleeing an unspecified past incident, finds himself caught up in an old pattern of sparring/avoiding with his brother during a trip to Venice.

All four stories include reassessment of relationships, of self while aging, of the true meaning of family—their families, healthy or not. Sometimes there can be reconciliation with the past, with family, with important others. Sometimes, there is acceptance.

I am looking forward to reading more from Russo in the future.

[☮Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another strong offering by a favorite author. The first two stories were my favorites. All carried scenes familiar from his past works -- academia, troubled marriages and other family dysfunctions, aging, even a return to Venice. I highly recommend.

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trajectory is a collection of four delightful short stories by Pulitzer-prize winning author, Richard Russo, each in their own way unforgettable. Horseman was about a young professor faced with the dilemma of counseling a student guilty of plagiarism. The Voice was the tale of two estranged brothers brought together for a twelve-day guided tour in Venice, Italy, each haunted by the past. Intervention was the story of a realtor facing a very serious medical diagnosis, as well as dealing with the memory of his father. The last story, Milton and Marcus, introduces us to a playwright summoned to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to meet with a producer who has found an unfinished ten-year old script of his that had been written for another actor. The common thread pulsing throughout these stories, in addition to Russo's talented writing and humor, is the humanity and vulnerability of these characters as they attempt to work their way through their dilemmas. This is one of my favorite authors and this didn't disappoint.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

“None of our stories mean what we think they do,” says a character in the last of Richard Russo’s four stories (including one that is novella-sized).

So what do our stories mean? None of us are an open book and for the most part, our stories gain definition when juxtaposed with the stories of those who have had significant impacts on our life. So it is here. The four white-collar stories are not all that different from the blue-collar tales that Russo is famous for; the only thing different is that these characters are more well-off.

The best, in my opinion, is the longest: Voice. Here, a man named Nathan is in Venice with his estranged brother, Julian. Nathan is undergoing a midlife crisis and Russo hints at the reason why: something to do with one of his very talented students, who was emotionally fragile and possibly diagnosable with mental disease. Being together with Julian, who has always had a short fuse around Nathan, on a group arts tour, makes him feel even more off-balance. Nathan learns a lesson about reaching out (“Reaching out? Wasn’t that what you were supposed to do for any human in need?”) and self-forgiveness. For me, this story evoked memories of another novella: Francine Prose’s Descents Into Hell. And, it had me turning pages.

The story Intervention was my next favorite, and dealt with a Maine Realtor who has just received a cancer diagnosis. He is in the process of selling a hoarder’s home and he, too hoards – memories. With his brother as a foil, he thinks of his father, who was faced with the same diagnosis many years back, and recognizes this: “…people cling to their folly as if it were their most prized possession, defending it, sometimes with violence, against the possibility of wisdom.”

Awakenings also occur in Horseman, focusing on a professor who confronts her student, a plagiarist, all the while recalling her own ability to claim her own scholarly voice. Finally, in Milton and Marcus, an aging novelist literally understands what it means to rewrite an old story script when he goes head-to-head with a legendary star who wants to option his work for a screenplay. As always, Richard Russo is in fine form and provides a most enjoyable read.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four stories, one more a novella than short story, hold interest more than many full length novels. What a pleasure to have Richard Russo produce two books in a year, as he is one author I look forward to and wish could write faster. Each comprises an entirely different scenario with original setups and characters. The title, Trajectory, is not an accident, since each story has a definite arc. Voice, the longest, is set both at a university and months later in Venice, almost the Venice of du Maurier's Don't Look Now, with its unsettling affect on a visitor who has recently suffered a psychic trauma. In fact, each has a backstory that figures prominently in the protagonist's present. In Milton and Marcus, I believe Russo draws on his experience with the machinations of Hollywood politics, producing a story that is both hilarious and poignant. My favorite, if pressed to pick one, would have to be Intervention, but that is purely subjective since all four are richly satisfying.

[Leslie Yambor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am usually a big fan of Russo books but this collection of short stories fell flat for me. I appreciated the characters and descriptions but kept waiting for something to happen - to justify all the long narrative.

[Melody Warnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sixth Richard Russo book I've read, which tells you how I feel about him.

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short form is not Russo's strong suit. His literary gifts shine far brighter when he's allowed the full length of a novel to develop his characters and delve into a complex plot.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Russo. I love every word this guy writes -- so critical, so thoughtful, so empathetic, so insightful, so universal, so full of serious and soulful examination yet so full of humorous asides and "what can you do?" real-life moments.

This is a very short collection, only four stories (40/100/40/60 pages); but each stands proudly among the Russo oeuvre. It's hard to review collections of short stories, becuase it seems like each is so short you can only say a sentence or two about it without giving too much away. And even though these were written separately, even years apart from one another, I can see why they're grouped together -- two focus on college instructors dealing simultaneously with student-issues and personal life-issues; three seem to deal with 60+ year old characters dealing with illness, family illness, family relationships; and all center on characters determining whether their life's Trajectory has played out how they wanted, wondering if they chose the wrong path, wondering how to correct the current path.

I've written about Russo so much before, and I don't know what else to add -- and I feel like that makes it sound like a criticism he gives the writer in the final short story: the critics reliably praise the author, but he doesn't sell any better or cover any new ground -- but he's such a master at what he does that I am constantly blown away. He really gets to the heart of what makes these characters tick (and hence what makes all of US as well!). He portrays dialogue so well, captures their inner debate and monologue perfectly, never shies away from the heartbreaking truths of the world yet always seems to find the humanity and the hope in everyone -- even obvious "protagonists" (if there are any) in the stories. Even when it seems like one could say Russo is just writing another Russo story, he presents a new viewpoint, a new inner conflict, a new backstory that feels like something you just heard from a neighbor or co-worker or (if you are lucky enough to have them) a friend. :)

I think the best story here -- or maybe just the most surprising, the most different -- is "Milton and Marcus," portraying a Hollywood clusterfuck of writer/producer/director/actor all trying to meet and hash out a script that said novelist and part-time uncredited script fixer started years ago for an actor friend, now moving forward with the actor's friend breathing new life into the project. I knew Russo tweeked scripts from time to time, but I've never encountered a character in any of his works that dealt with this aspect of his life or worldview; and the way the story fleshes out presents us with an almost satirical (cynical?) view of the whole process. It's part Entourage and part... I don't know... SNL? Veep?... with thinly veiled references to the actors in question (and director?) (though I must admit I read up on this after finishing it, as I could tell some famous actor was being spoofed but wasn't completely certain which) (read up on it here if you are curious https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/bo...). But the story was great in every way -- unexpected, poignant, funny, enlightening (how does everyone not shoot their own face off if this is the way things really work in Hollywood?!!!), touching, and ever full of deeper meanings and examinations of human connections (or faked sincerity with regards to). After reading the aforementioned link, I was thinking about a line from the review that argued how all of Russo's work is basically an examination of the dichotomy of male character traits: who's a Marcus and who's a Milton? Who is the better person? Who do people tend to gravitate towards? Who gets things done? Who has the cleaner soul? I found that line urging me to reexamine all of Russo's works, all of the actors' movies, and hence all of the ways to go about moving through the world in its myriad difficulties, trials, and pitfalls.

Sounds dark and contemplative. But Russo makes it such fun to do so.

[William Koon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Russo’s "Trajectory," a collection of short fiction, is nothing less than amazing. Last summer I spent too long on his Nobody’s Fool and thought: “Well, that was good, but ahem…, could you not be a bit more more brief and use fewer characters?” He does just that here. This group is better than good with his sparkling prose, a prose which does not show off but instead reflects the poignancy of his themes. Likewise his plots and characters jell into a wondrous love of what fiction can be. To me, the finest of the stories was “Voice,” a Cain and Abel story about two brothers, one of whom is caught in the follies of what passes for higher education. The other is caught up in the folly of what passes for life. And where better to explore these themes than Venice, Italy on a packaged tour of modern art? Friends, it does not get better than this. And could one want a better illustration of what short fiction can be than the example he shares with us in “Intervention?” Simply, no. I still have last years’s “Everybody’s Fool” stored away. I will be getting to it.

[Paul Lockman · Rating 4 out of 5]

My fifth book by Richard Russo. I will read anything by him. Still haven’t read the Pulitzer Prize winner Empire Falls yet, that’s next on the list. This is a short story collection, there are only four in total, one of which could be described as a novella, and I enjoyed them all.

[Etienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5/5. Pour les amateurs de belles phrases, mais d'histoires qui ne mènent à rien... Ce livre est magnifiquement bien écrit, rien à dire sur l'écriture et même sur les qualités littéraires du livre en général. Les personnages sont vrais, les situations aussi, tout est bien décrit, mais c,est aussi là le problème, on ne va pas plus loin. On se retrouve dans la peau d'un observateur passif, on regarde ce qui se passe (et on reste dans des situations assez «ordinaires», normales). Très descriptif, et cela manquait de psychologies, de réflexions et d'une certaine «intrigue» ou au moins un petit quelque chose. De belles qualités littéraires, mais un manque de profondeur qui a fait mal à mon appréciation. Techniquement le livre est réussit, mais j'ai eu très peu de plaisir à le lire alors...

[Fred Forbes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Russo's writing for his ability to paint a picture of the highs and lows of daily living across a wide variety of people and circumstances, especially when dealing with small towns and New England sensibilities. This is a collection of 4 stories, the second of which Voice seemed to really drag on, had me wondering when anything meaningful was about to happen when wham! the last 10 pages pulled together as if yanked with a drawstring. The other stories moved along much more quickly and I particularly enjoyed the last one regarding the role of the writer in working in the movie business. Anyone who reads Russo's work knows what a wordsmith he is. This book, while short is no exception.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because Rick Russo always finds the best in people; because he encourages us to believe that goodness and kindness exist; because he shepherds his flock of characters with affection and understanding, I have to stay by his side. I need him to remind me that all of us are flawed, but that we are redeemable. These four extended stories, or short novellas, are all good enough, but one, "Voices" is great. Anything I write about it would spoil
its intricate plot, and its voice, so please believe me when I say that it covers territory that I have not seen explored
In fiction before. I am in its thrall two weeks out, and this might soon be found anthologized. I certainly hope so.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no words for this really, uninteresting and boring

[Marialyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed the humor and the knowledge of human nature that Mr Russo brings to his writing. He always seems to have characters that are just like you, or your parents, or your siblings or your neighbors, or your best friend. However, it is always his male characters which are his very best creations.

This book comprised of four short stories was no exception. All of the stories are typical Russo as he explores the themes he loves so well. The role of learning as a professor relates to his students and life and his brother in Voice. He writes of the Hollywood scene in the last story entitled Milton and Marcus. (perhaps a nod to Robert Redford and Paul Newman here) In the story, The Horsemen, Mr Russo takes on the idea of plagiarism as a college English professor discovers a plagiarizing student and ultimately discovers some things about herself. In the story Intervention, the main character tackles a medical problem and needs to make a decision to sally forth or perhaps throw in the towel.

All of the stories have that bit of fun, that bit of whimsy and that bit of seriousness that Mr Russo always blends together so well. He constantly brings a smile to the reader's face and a definite nod to the fact that we all share a bit of something be it good, bad, or indifference with the characters he portrays.

[Jenny Shank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dallas Morning News, June 13, 2017
Jenny Shank, Special Contributor

In his new story collection Trajectory, Richard Russo writes, "People cling to folly as if it were their most prized possession, defending it, sometimes with violence, against the possibility of wisdom." This sentence could serve as the thesis statement for many of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's 12 books.

Russo has been in a reflective mood for the past several years. His most recent novel, last year's Everybody's Fool, followed up with the characters from one of his early bookshelf-to-Hollywood hits, Nobody's Fool. Russo published his first memoir, Elsewhere, in 2012, and now comes Trajectory, a collection of four long stories, two of which previously appeared in 2012's Interventions, an artful collaboration with his daughter Kate Russo that featured her paintings and his stories. It was not available in an e-book format, out of solidarity with the old-fashioned booksellers who built Russo's career.

The stories in Trajectory are classic Russo, tales of minor-key defeat laced with rue and humor. Each intersperses the protagonist's present problem with memories of the past.

In "Horseman," Janet Moore is an English professor bent on confronting a student with evidence of his plagiarism. She remembers when Marcus Bellamy, a "brilliant black English professor" and "the department's one true academic superstar" had pointed out her own shortcomings a decade earlier, when she was a top grad student at the university where she is now a professor.

Bellamy had rattled her with faint praise ("You read carefully, synthesize well and know how to marshal evidence") paired with the observation that no unique touch was present in her writing. "It's just not really yours," he'd said.

Bellamy had gone on to an Ivy League fame, while Janet married Robbie, her grad school boyfriend. When their son was born "damaged," Robbie became the stay-at-home caregiver while Janet pursued her career. "Other than anger and frustration, their son seemed to have no emotions of his own, but when others showed any, it often upset him."

As Janet sorts through her own motivations, she comes to understand that her plagiarism quest is busywork she's concocted to stay away from home. Russo illustrates perfectly the wall this mother of a disabled child builds between her work and personal life to keep herself from crumbling.

In the novella "Intervention," Ray is a real-estate agent in Maine, trying to unload the cluttered house of his wife's quirky friend during an economic downturn, while procrastinating about scheduling medical intervention for a tumor. His new troubles cast him back on memories of his father, who, after being berated by his shyster brother for years as a "chump" who "spends his life wondering why his luck never changes," did nothing to fight his own tumor.

"What sort of man comes home from the doctor, calmly sits down in his favorite chair, the one that looks out onto the darkening street, and waits for his own death as if it would arrive like a slow-moving taxi, plowing dutifully through wintry slush?" Ray wonders. Although the subject matter of "Intervention" is serious, the overall tone is one of wry humor. Russo again shows how adept he is at portraying life as a tragicomedy.

The star novella of this collection is "Voice," the story of Nate, a single, retired professor whose swindler salesman brother talks him into joining a group tour of the Venice Biennale. Nate ends up seeing very little art as his brother ditches him for an attractive divorcée and Nate is paired with the ailing Bernard. As they try to keep up with the group and Nate becomes hopelessly separated from everyone, he ponders the incident that precipitated his retirement. He'd tried to connect with a brilliant autistic student whom he'd been warned should never be approached or touched.

The comedy of Nate's wanderings through Venice is studded with insights such as, "He should've known better than to ask how much longer his newfound sense of well-being could last. To pose that question was to invite its speedy answer," and "Is it better to be known whole or to conceal what makes us unworthy of love?"

The final story, "Milton and Marcus," is a vignette from the life as a novelist turned Hollywood screenwriter that never quite reaches the depths of empathy Russo achieves in the other three. But Russo, at his best, sets the bar high, and gives readers plenty to enjoy and mull as his characters ponder their life trajectories.

Jenny Shank's novel, "The Ringer," won the High Plains Book Award.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant surprise. Russo at his finest.

[Dick Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of four short stories presents a stellar cast of characters. Like the folks in Russo’s novels, they are interesting, vulnerable, and memorable. The protagonists seem like ordinary people but have to deal with many weird folks around them, including relatives, in the ordinary paths of their lives.
Two of these stories deal with the relationship between brothers. In “Voice,” Nate, a retired college professor, is on a group tour of Venice with his brother Julian. Their mother was killed in a fire, a tragedy which provides subtext for their fractious relationship. Of the two women in the group, Evelyn does not appear attractive at first but later in the story Nate realizes that she actually looks pretty nice. The other woman is Renee and she connects with Julian. Julian is all “surface charm” but Nate is “solid stuff.” The story flips back and forth from the present in Venice to the past when Nate was teaching and wondering what to do about a student named Opal Mauntz. (Where does Russo get these names?) Opal writes brilliant essays but acts very strange in class; sits alone, faces the other way and doesn’t speak.
In the story called “Intervention” Ray has a brother nicknamed Vinnie who brags a lot about his contacts. “You want Red Sox tickets? Call me.” Ray and Vinnie had an uncle named Jack (their father’s brother) and he was a “fixer.” Jack was always touting various kinds of investments. “Can’t go wrong with this one. Have to get into it early so you don’t miss out.” Ray and his wife Paula have a small garage with two cars that barely fit and the garage door often gets stuck. Ray is in real estate and is trying to sell a house owned by a woman named Nicki. She’s a hoarder and the house’s interior is a mess. Ray gets help from Vinnie to clean out the house to make it look better. Ray has an appointment in Boston for a medical exam. He has a tumor and is afraid of losing control, “another bare assed man being told what to do by others,” but he’s resigned to having surgery.
The last story called “Milton and Marcus” is told by a first person narrator who writes movie screenplays and sounds a lot like Richard Russo. (He did collaborate with Paul Newman several times.) There’s plenty of Hollywood gossip in this tale centered on a big screen personality called William “Regular Bill” Nolan who lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Really? Right away I saw that we were reading about “Ordinary Bob” Redford who hangs his Stetson in Sundance, Utah. Midway through the story, Nolan tells a long tale about having a sudden hankering for the perfect margarita. With a woman friend in tow, Nolan embarked on a journey from Jackson Hole to Santa Fe, NM where he decamped at a well known watering hole for that perfect margarita. As a twenty-two year resident of The City Different, I knew exactly that he was referring to Maria’s, a restaurant that my wife and I have visited many times. Robert Redford was a frequent visitor to Maria’s but I never had the good luck to be there on the same evening. And yes, Maria does make the perfect margarita.

[Greg Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

First appeared at http://www.thenewdorkreviewofbooks.co...

We're living in charmed literary times, friends! Last May, Richard Russo published Everybody's Fool, a sequel to his novel Nobody's Fool, and there was much rejoicing because it was excellent. Today, he publishes Trajectory, a new volume of short stories — only his second (after 2002's The Whore's Child & Other Stories).

Trajectory is fantastic! There are only four stories here, but three of them are longer than average short stories. This includes the near-novella length "Voices," about an aging and perhaps disgraced English professor named Nate who is visiting Venice with his older brother, a shady dude who seems to have involved Nate in one of his schemes. Nate and his brother Julian have serious reckoning to do, both with their shared past, but as well as their individual pasts as well.

All four of these stories, in fact, are about aging people — college professors, a writer, and a real estate agent. In "Horseman," an English professor named Janet catches one of her students cheating, and then begins to question whether her own academic career is a fraud. In "Intervention," an aging real estate agent, who may or may not have cancer, tries to sell a house owned by a stubborn woman who won't get rid of her stuff to an obnoxious Texas couple in the dead of Maine winter at the height of the Great Recession. Challenging, to say the least.

My favorite story in the collection is the last one, "Milton and Marcus," about an aging novelist named Ryan who has dabbled in screenplays to help pay the bills. Now, he's hoping to return to the realm of the silver screen to secure health insurance from the Screenwriter's Guild for his ailing wife. He flies to Jackson Hole to take a meeting with a famous actor-turned-producer who wants to make a movie from the start of a screenplay Ryan wrote 10 years ago for another actor who has since died. While he's there, we're treated to an account of the sneaky, cynical, backstabbing nature of the movie business, and it's utterly fascinating, if not a bit sad. This story is Russo at his best — his understanding of human nature and feelings and motivations is just unapproachable. As well, this story felt the most autobiographical of any in the collection. Really terrific.

If you're a Russo fan, this is a must-read. He's absolutely at his the height of his game here — his little jokes and folksy aphorisms ("all hat and no cattle," eg) are all here, as is his typical whip-sharp insight. He's just a fun writer to read, whether short story or novel. This is highly recommended!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trajectories is comprised of four long short stories of varying length. A quick note—if you have read the separately published “Nate in Venice”, then you have read the second story, entitled Voice in this collection. No idea why the titles changed.

I have read quite a bit of Russo’s work and to me his shorter works are often darker than his novels, which have rich vein of quiet humor even when the story lines get serious or the subject matter is more disturbing. I think I like the novels better, but everything he writes is good, just different.
We fall down the Rabbit hole in three out of four of these stories. Twice into the world of academia (Voice and Horseman) and once into the world of the Hollywood writer (Milton and Marcus). I felt like a fly on the wall in these stories, especially in Milton and Marcus since I have never even met anyone with ties to Hollywood. I found Horseman to be particularly interesting because my experience with stories about academics who find themselves in tight situations are almost always told from the male perspective. Horseman was interesting to me because it dealt with what is most likely a common existential crisis for academics and considering it from a woman’s perspective showed that some experiences can be universal and individual at the same time.

In Intervention we have a story of a struggling real estate developer who is suffering a perfect storm of financial decline, a serious health issue, and faltering confidence. In other words, an aging Everyman. My favorite story in the collection, I found the main character to be sympathetic and quietly inspirational and the supporting cast was interesting and compelling. This cast of characters would support a longer novel form very nicely.

As with many literary writers, especially the few that are of this caliber, I feel that at least for me a first read is just an introduction to the basic plot and characters (to use a Hemingway analogy--the top 10% of the iceberg) and subsequent readings of each of these stories will provide further rewards as deeper meanings are revealed.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pretty much love everything Russo writes! My favorite story in the collection was "Voice." I didn't love the last story, "Milton and Marcus" but I think part of this was that it was written in first person and Russo is traditionally in third person. Anyhow, I really enjoyed reading this and hope he's got another novel in the works.

[Bibi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Richard Russo. This short collection of four stories, which apparently were previously published elsewhere, did not wow me as his other works. Here are my sound bites on each:

Marcus and Milton - Instead of blue collar workers and folks down on their luck, this time Russo focussed on the rich and the reckless. For a taste of what he deemed "the best margarita in the world", one character would wreck two Audis and a Japanese sports car and pay for a private plane and a few other damages all the way. Just shallow stuff with a script at the core.

Intervention - Here we have an ill character trying to cope with decisions on impending treatment. His brother reminding him of a path and decision contemplated and acted on by their own father.

Voice - A brother being heartless to another and the brother's own reflection on the part he had with respect to the future of one of his college students.

Horseman - A female professor and a student who plagiarised on an essay; her perceived feelings of estrangement from her autistic son.

The stories include aging characters, sibling relationships, personal introspections, and a liberal amount of coarse language. This collection was just okay for me.