Search - Straight Man : A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries)

*****
I LOVED this book. As a person who places a high value on seeing the ridiculous in life's ordinary moments, AND as the wife of a college professor, I enjoyed this book more than any I have read in a long time. The author captures the absurdities of the academic career, where the struggle for power is paramount. I found myself laughing out loud many times.

The plot twists around a professor(sans PhD) in a small western Pennsylvania coed university, William Henry Devereaux Jr. by name. He tells the tale of a small segment of his life as he rounds age 50. His wife, who is a high school teacher, is out of town. It is time for the powers that be to set the University budget for the coming year causing great paranoia among the faculty. Hank, as he prefers to be known, is the acting head of the English dept. and is therefore in charge of the hiring and firing list. There are many sub-plots and an interesting group of characters. If I were grading the book I would give it a C because I couldn't identify with the main protagonist, and an A for clever, if doubtful manipulation of circumstance, characters, timing and plot.

Russo is clever and sarcastic and had me laughing out loud at the turn of every page. I agree with the New York Times Book Review, "The funniest serious novel I have read..." It was so nice to pick up a story that may have serious life topics, but dealt with them in a lighthearted, hopeful way.

I loved this. It took me a while to get into it, but it is hysterically funny and still manages to be a fairly intense and serious novel. Richard Russo Rules!!

One of my favorite books! A man's perspective on life with all its confusions told through a backdrop of a college professor's personal and professional experiences. Highly entertaining.

A terrific book, shrewd and funny. Great for those who like academic novels.