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

Too damn good...

What did you love best about Straight Man?

It is true to life. The characters are real. The world is immersive and in the end, meaningful.

What other book might you compare Straight Man to and why?

The Rabbit series by John Updike. A great examination of a twentieth century male.

What about Sam Freed’s performance did you like?

Spot on. Absolutely no distractions. Perfect for this book. He actually sounded just like one of my English professors.

Who was the most memorable character of Straight Man and why?

I would say the main character because so much of the book is about him. But I have to go with the campus CEO, Dicky Pope. He only appears in one chapter but Russo nails him so perfectly as

Any additional comments?

Russo is too damn good. After I listen or re-listen to any of his books, I can't enjoy my next read. It's as if I've sipped a fine wine and then have been handed a Grain Belt. It leaves a sour taste. Richard Russo has my permission to write a story that never ends - he can pick any character and examine life as it happens through their eyes, endlessly. I would happily follow where ever he wants to go. Thank you Mr Russo.

Plodding tale of a middle aged academic

This book required some discipline to get through. I considered abandoning it a few times, but kept going back in the hope that it would pick up. It did pick up somewhat about two thirds of the way through when the largely unsympathetic protagonist began experiencing some health and personal challenges greater than navigating the difficult personalities of his caricatured colleagues in the English department of a Pennsylvania state university. The protagonist is a leery, seemingly self-satisfied, smarmy chairman of an English department. His main focus in life seems to be alternately tolerating and antagonizing his equally unsympathetic cast of academic colleagues. I read Empire Falls years ago and loved it, but this book falls short in terms of the richness of the characters and in creating something that the reader cares about.

truth in academia

I loved the story. the last chapter left me hanging... the epillogue fixed it. Best part? The book ends in a one-liner.

Enjoyed it!

Like one other reviewer stated, I love Russo's books and while I did enjoy this one, it is not a five-star book. The narrator was, however, worthy of five stars and did an exemplary job giving an authentic voice to the main character!

“If it was like a metaphor, it would be like a simile”

Hysterical, touching, relatable, fast moving ‘page turner’ (I am aware I am writing this review on Audible) penned by the great Richard Russo almost exactly halfway between Nobody’s Fool & the Pulitzer Prize winning Empire Falls - personally, I enjoyed this much more than those two books - though they are also both excellent, to say the least. It’s hard to go wrong with Russo. In regards to the performance; Sam Freed adds a whole new dimension to the material - easily the best reading I’ve heard on Audible so far (I’ve been a member for a little over a year now I think). It’s hard to believe the recording dates back to 2003, the quality is excellent. This is the book I immediately recommend to almost anyone, whether or not they’re looking for a recommendation - I’ve even given several copies away as gifts. Prose doesn’t get much better than this. Highly recommended, enjoy.

Gets tedious

At first, I found the book amusing but it soon became tiresome. Ultimately, I barely finished it.

beware of narrator

I hope this helps. I would get this book. one because its Richard russo and the story is amazing so far even though I'm 7 hours and 44 mins into it. but the narrator killed this one character the way he delivers her lines. her name is Rachel and she is an assistant to the main character who is a professor. this is how. everytime Rachel says a line it ends in a question which when you listen to it you to will notice. she will make a statement for instance. I'm going to the restroom but the narrator will end it with a question instead of a period. so it gets annoying because you can tell that's not what russo meant.

Very Boring Storey

A wasted credit......just long sojourns into the day to day life of an tenured academic. Meh!

A worthy successor to Lucky Jim

Hits so close to home I couldn't stop laughing. Should be required reading to achieve tenure.

Paul C

I enjoyed the humor and story telling. Very entertaining. I would recommend it to others.