In new novel 'Under the Falls,' Richard Russo explores places left behind

Richard Russo, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author with a prolific writing career, has released his latest novel, Under the Falls. In this new work, Russo returns to the community of his youth, exploring the places left behind by those who have moved away. Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown spoke with Russo for the arts and culture series, Canvas.

Russo, who has written ten novels and collaborated on screen adaptations and TV series, continues to draw inspiration from his hometown of Gloversville, once known as the glove-making capital of the world.

The opening lines of Under the Falls describe a man leaving behind a hometown that has fallen on hard times, but cannot quite escape it. Russo has lived and worked in Maine, but his stories are often set in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York, particularly his hometown of Gloversville. Russo's mother, separated from his father, wanted out and wanted him to see a bigger and better world.

He did leave, but he learned who he was and what he loved in those place he left behind. This theme is explored in Under the Falls, as a man named Tyler Sinclair, now a famous Nashville musician, returns to his hometown after fleeing years before.

The new novel is not just a thriller with violence, police corruption, and the opioid epidemic, but also a reflection on who gets to tell the story of a place. Russo has previously written about Gloversville under different names, but in Under the Falls, he calls it by its real name, Stone Mountain. This creates tension for the protagonist, Tyler, as he returns to the town he left behind.

Russo's latest novel is a continuation of his exploration of place, character, and class, and a testament to his enduring connection to the communities that have inspired his work.