Random House
With midterms barely completed and term papers and finals seeming ominously near, students might think they're having a difficult time. But it might be more appropriate to sympathize with professors - at least if their lives are anything like that of Hank Devereaux, the hero of Richard Russo's "Straight Man."
Hank is the quirky English department chair at a middle-rank state university; he's beset by equally eccentric and endlessly squabbling colleagues, while aided and abetted by a secretary who's a better writer than Hank has ever been.
The novel follows an event-filled week in Hank's life, as he fights for his job, is attacked with a notebook and threatens to kill the local geese until he gets a budget. This plot has the potential to be a rather depressing novel, but told in Hank's understated and slightly cynical voice, it becomes impossible to take too seriously. Of course, graver themes are interwoven throughout the novel, even as it diverts readers with humorous passages. In its oblique way, "Straight Man" addresses the strained relationships between parents and children: Hank's father was a pioneer in literary theory, while Hank has spent his life at West Central Pennsylvania University, and his daughter has scarcely read a book in her life.
One remarkable quality in "Straight Man," however, is its ability to balance tragedy and comedy. In the book's epilogue, Hank summarizes later events in his life, and - as the final scene indicates - comedy clearly wins out.
Throughout the novel he is a wry, straight-faced commentator on the bizarre events around him. In another effective technique, Russo repeats ideas and phrases throughout the novel, giving it a thematic unity that is rarely found in real life, but is a satisfying way to pull together realistic novels.
"Straight Man"'s university setting also makes it an interesting read. Russo's scenes of campus protests and writing workshops - as well as his comic portrayals of professors - seem all too accurate at times. He goes into considerably more detail about issues such as tenure, budgets and union representation, which don't concern students as much, but which are no doubt equally true to life.
Though not a great novel, "Straight Man" is a completely enjoyable one. Its convoluted plot makes it difficult to stop reading, and it's just as hard to stop laughing at Hank's deadpan account of campus insanity. If nothing else, readers will have to finish the book just to find out what happens to the goose on the cover.
- Elizabeth Lucas
11-10-97
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