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Nobody's Fool (Sully #1)

Richard Russo

Start date: February 1, 2019

Finish date: February 28, 2019

Discussion: Fiction Group Reads

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What Members Thought

Feb 18, 2013 El rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 20th-centurylit-late

I've long said that I don't do well with "hilarious" novels, or the kind that states somewhere on a blurb on the cover of the book that it's the "funniest thing ever". I feel these books are trying to make me laugh and that's exhausting. "Whoops, was I supposed to laugh at that? Let me go back and see if it's funny... Nope, still barely made me crack a smiler." Books that feature characters that were written with the sole purpose of getting laughs, mean kind of laughs, at a character's expense. I've long said that I don't do well with "hilarious" novels, or the kind that states somewhere on a blurb on the cover of the book that it's the "funniest thing ever". I feel these books are trying to make me laugh and that's exhausting. "Whoops, was I supposed to laugh at that? Let me go back and see if it's funny... Nope, still barely made me crack a smiler." Books that feature characters that were written with the sole purpose of getting laughs, mean kind of laughs, at a character's expense. Yeah, I don't do real well with those. I'm too sensitive or something because the idea of laughing at someone so clearly pathetic kind of makes my stomach hurt to think about. Yes, even literary characters, and probably more so, because I make such deep connections with characters in books.

I'm a sensitive nerd.

Then along comes Nobody's Fool. I don't believe it says anywhere on the cover that's it's "rip-roaringly funny", or if it's there I ignored it. This book is not rip-roaringly funny or even hilarious. It's not without humor, though. That seems to be Russo's genius. This is another novel about small-town living with small-town characters dealing with small-town situations. Russo doesn't want us to laugh at them, per se, but they sometimes find themselves in entertaining and/or humorous situations. Their reactions are realistic. They make dumb decisions and sometimes say dumb things and are often mean to each other. This isn't exclusive to small towns. This is reality.

This weekend we had a close friend visit from out of town. He's actually my boyfriend's friend, but I've stolen him to be my own as well because he's good people. He's in a shitty place right now and that's primarily what we talked about this weekend - he's a real person with real shit and he makes real stupid decisions just like other real people do. In a world that often is superficial and vain, it's refreshing to be around someone who isn't just putting on an act for his benefit or for the benefit of others. He doesn't come from a small town like Sully in Nobody's Fool, but the end result is the same and is universal to anyone no matter their demographic: There's always a desire for something more. Ever felt "I didn't sign up for this" or "This is not my beautiful wife"? Welcome to Russo's world. I saw Russo's world unfold for real in my living room this weekend.

Some of Russo's characters are pathetic, but they're not the punchline to every joke. Sully's best friend, Rub, is the closest to the punchline, but even that relationship has a degree of reality that is more touching than pathetic, at least in how the relationship progresses throughout the novel.

These characters have real conversations, something that tends to be lost in a lot of literature; I feel most literary conversations try too hard to fit some sort of dialogue quota, and it often feels stilted or forced, no matter how good it is. This is my first Russo experience, but something tells me this is just how he writes his characters - real people with real conversations in real situations.

Another problem I sometimes have while reading is in books that have more than one serious storyline, occasionally I find myself being more interested in one than another. Like in that whole Game of Thrones stuff, I'm totally invested in Arya's story but couldn't give a shit about most of the other characters. In Nobody's Fool there are several different storylines, and they're all rather decent. I wasn't more invested in Sully's story than I was in his son's story. I wanted to know even more about his grandson Will, but if that's my only complaint, so be it. I have to tip my hat at the writer who will keep my attention all the way through his or her book. That's not an easy task, so kudos, Mr. Russo. I think I just fell in love.

In other words: Sign me up for more. ...more

30 likes · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2019 Irene rated it really liked it

Sully is a member of Russo’s pantheon of emotionally stunted male characters, deeply wounded by alcoholic, abusive, neglectful fathers, these flawed characters fail as spouses, fathers and friends while still nurturing a deep inner goodness, a spark of light that is waiting to be fanned into flame. I love Russo’s character development, the way we can both love and be irritated by these walking wounded. At the same time, I find some of his secondary characters or non-essential stories to be playe ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Feb 25, 2019 Petra rated it liked it

This was an interesting and a frustrating book to review. The characters are warm, kind, hurtful, caring and make some bad decisions. We're told at the beginning that the town of Bath has been making bad decisions for 200 years, so I guess these people come by it honestly.
Sully is a frustrating and interesting character. In the three weeks that occur in this book, he makes some bone-headed decisions of the most self-destructive kinds. Yet he helps and cares for those around hm. He's his own wor ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2019 Christopher rated it really liked it

Shelves: 20th-century, american, fiction

A slice of dysfunctional life in a small New York town. Sully is a wonderful character, the type of self-destructive guy that has plenty of faults but is also somehow easy to love.This book is about the way damage reincarnates itself from generation to generation, but it's also an optimistic portrayal of people working together to get by.

I'm not running out to read the sequel, but this was a very pleasant way to spend five hundred pages, and I feel like I've gotten to know some new friends. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 09, 2019 Janice (JG) rated it liked it

3.5 stars. It's a good yarn, and all of the characters are relatable in some fashion... it's an easy, fast read, good for checking out over a snowy weekend. In the long run, however, I came away from it feeling like I hadn't really gained anything. I probably won't look for another Russo novel. ...more

1 like · Like · see review