Straight Man

A Novel

By: Richard Russo

Narrated by: Sam Freed

Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©1997 Richard Russo (P)2003 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The funniest serious novel I have read since—well, maybe since Portnoy's Complaint." —The New York Times Book Review

"[Russo] skewers academic pretensions and infighting with mad abandon...in a clear and muscular prose that is a pleasaure to read....I had to stop often to guffaw, gasp, wheeze, and wipe away my tears." —Chicago Sun-Times

"Bursting with humor and insight." —USA Today

witty but not funny

Any additional comments?

OMG, I've been struggling with this book for what seems like forever. I've been recommended to read it because I like David Lodge's novels about academics, and it is in no way like David Lodge. It's boring, the plot is weak, and the best chapter so far is the very beginning about the dog. Uff.

I suffered from withdrawal when the book ended

Would you listen to Straight Man again? Why?

I will definitely listen to this book again. The narrator is outstanding. He performs rather than reads the books and his performance enhances the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hank was my favorite because of his wit and his laid-back outlook on life. I always fall in love with the lead character in all of Richard Russo's books.

Which scene was your favorite?

I was laughing out loud in my car in when Hank was crouched in the ceiling of the conference room covered in dirt and wet pants eavesdropping on his peers discussing whether or not to allow his to retain his chair of the English department. Hilarious!@!!!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Noooooo. I wanted it to go on forever. I didn't want it to end.

Really a 2.5 star book

Straight Man is really a 2.5 star book, but a good cup of coffee has made me feel generous in rounding. I was looking for something that was laugh out loud funny, and there were several occasions that I did just that, but not enough to make this a worthwhile read. Overall, the book struck me as more sad than humorous. William Henry Devereaux Jr. is the chairman of a small Pennsylvania state college English department. He doesn't take anything seriously, and the book evolves into a series of stories, conversations, ridiculous situations, and Hank's thoughts while the caricature characters worry about budget cuts and hit each other. Hank prattles on about Occam's razor and the status of his urinary tract far too much for me. I'm not in a position to judge whether this accurately reflects the personalities, interactions, and craziness of a college English department, but too much struck me as far-fetched and absurd. I will have to try some other authors (Jane Smiley, David Lodge) in search of good academic humor.

Fun and light reading

Straight Man is a good book when you are in the mood for something light and fun. I would highly recommend listening to this book.

Sly, sophisticated novel

This has become my new favorite novel. I love the memorable characters, the well-developed and amusing plot, the surprising and satisfying humor. This is the third Richard Russo novel I've listened to this week and the best of them, I think.

Richard Russo in Great Form

The story of a broken down English department at a nondescript university. Russo is great at two things: the goings on between long-married couples, and places in decay. He puts them both together here and the story is often laugh out loud funny.

Wrong performer reading the book

The 6 o'clock news voice of the professional reader doesn't work for the comedic, beatnik, nihilistic voice of the real narrator. Felt cheated by the way that voice was at cross purposes with what would have been funnier and more surprising on the page. Wonderful example of insular, smug, arch, fiction sensibilities in vogue from the unselfconsciously white academy pre-9/11.

As a 55 year old man…

… who lives in a small college town in the rust belt, so many things hit home that didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So I did both. Great read for those of us living in that state of grace that is our 50s…. or those of us that know a little bit about the politics involved on small town campuses.

This is precisely what middle age feels like

Yes, now that I’m approaching 50, I know decidedly what WHD Jr feels. I know precisely what his sense of humor is, and why this book is uproariously funny.

Mel brooks it ain’t.

Curb your enthusiasm… maybe.

Lucky Hank. Totally.

This remains my favorite Richard Russo novel...

It remains my favorite Richard Russo novel, against stiff competition, and is probably my favorite "college novel", also against stiff competition (Lucky Jim, Trading Places, Small World... and more).

I particularly like the audio book for the narrator's dry style. He's superb. I wish Russo had used him for other books.

I've probably read it 4 or 5 times in 20-25 years. For me, that's a lot. And I know I will keep rereading it. I love Russo's writing, and this book is an understated masterpiece.