William Henry Devereaux, Jr., spiritually suited to playing left field but forced by a bad hamstring to try first base, is the unlikely chairman of the English department at West Central Pennsylvania University. Over the course of a single convoluted week, he threatens to execute a duck, has his nose slashed by a feminist poet, discovers that his secretary writes better fiction than he does, suspects his wife of having an affair with his dean, and finally confronts his philandering elderly father, the one-time king of American Literary Theory, at an abandoned amusement park. Such is the canvas of Richard Russo's Straight Man, a novel of surpassing wit, poignancy, and insight. As he established in his previous books -- Mohawk, The Risk Pool, and Nobody's Fool -- Russo is unique among contemporary authors for his ability to flawlessly capture the soul of the wise guy and the heart of a difficult parent. In Hank Devereaux, Russo has created a hero whose humor and identification with the absurd are mitigated only by his love for his family, friends, and, ultimately, knowledge itself. Unforgettable, compassionate, and laugh-out-loud funny, Straight Man cements Richard Russo's reputation as one of the master storytellers of our time.
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"Almost as good as Empire Falls, and as a novel of academia it surpasses That Old Cape Magic. Made me laugh out loud in several places. An updated, more sarcastic Lucky Jim. The protagonist is even referred to as "Lucky Hank" by those who hate him. Absurd and clever."
— Anna (4 out of 5 stars)
" Highly recommend this book for academics. Moderately recommend for all others. "
— Jocelyn, 2/19/2014" I don't know that I've ever laughed harder at a book! My department adopted the motto W.W.H.D? "
— Matthew, 2/16/2014" I have heard about this book for years. Most of my family has read it. I was somewhat disappointed in it. The characters were annoying, and although I presume the author intended for them to be annoying it became tiresome for me. "
— Kappy, 2/9/2014" Loved it, although not as much as Empire Falls. Russo's books always make me want to write. Loved the characters and the depiction of academics and professors. "
— Vivek, 2/1/2014" I think one word will be appropriate for this book 'hilarious' . "
— Souvik, 1/29/2014" I'm always dissatisied with Russo's portrayals of women, but then his portrayals of men are not very flattering either, so I don't worry about it too much. In the end, he is an entertaining storyteller. "
— Cecile, 1/20/2014" Loved this book! Academia, budget crises, quirky characters, and lots of humor. "
— Joan, 12/31/2013" Took me a while to get through this one. A week in the life of a snarky college professor in the middle of potential layoffs in his department and a mid-life crisis. It came together in the end, but most of the story felt pointless to me and I couldn't really connect with the characters. "
— Liz, 12/27/2013" One of the funniest books about being a college professor I have ever read. "
— Frank, 12/25/2013" Funny, but doesn't really go anywhere - a book about academics and their politics. Russo is very dry and witty, but I got kind of bored. "
— Jill, 12/10/2013" 3.5 This book was very funny although the truths behind the send-up, having to do with academia are all too real and ominous. "
— Lynn, 12/1/2013Richard Russo is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, two collections of stories, and the memoir Elsewhere. In 2002 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Empire Falls, which, like Nobody’s Fool, won multiple awards for its screen adaptation, and in 2023 his novel Straight Man was adapted into the television series Lucky Hank. In 2017, he received France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine.
Sam Freed is an actor, voice talent, and audiobook narrator.