The Whore's Child

What a wonderful collection! Russo won the Pulitzer Prize last year for EMPIRE FALLS, and his style translates beautifully to the short story format. Full of irony, humor, and heart, these stories move at a faster pace than usual for Russo and hold one's interest strongly throughout. "Monhegan Light" is an especially plausible gem about a man who falls in love with his dead wife only after seeing a portrait painted by a man who thought her truly beautiful. O. Henry or Saki couldn't have turned this out better. Russo, while obviously not a professional narrator, has a winning way with a story. Really knowing what the characters are thinking adds extra dimension and interest. He uses a slow, meticulous delivery with a good dash of equivocation. What the production lacks in slickness, it gains in relevance. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine