Hard Luck Men in Hardscrabble Towns: Richard Russo's Enduring Portrayal Richard Russo's latest novel, Under the Falls , marks a departure from his trademark gritty, blue collar tales.
Yet, even as he veers into more aspirational territory with his protagonist, Tyler Sinclair – a young musician returning to his hometown – Russo's underlying themes remain eerily consistent.
His characters' inner lives, forged in the fires of poverty and hardship, continue to be a mirror held up to our society's most pressing issues: class, privilege, and the search for identity.