Richard Russo explores the complicated pull of home
A new novel about the complicated pull of home
Richard Russo’s new novel, *Under the Falls*, sounds like the kind of book that understands why people leave a struggling town, but still feel responsible for what happens there. It follows a successful musician returning to his upstate New York hometown, where a benefit concert brings old friendships, class tensions, and unresolved local history back into the room.
Why it caught my attention I am interested in stories where the main conflict is not simply one person against another. Sometimes it is between a community’s memory and its present needs. A concert may raise money, but it can also expose who has been carrying the burden quietly, who gets heard, and who is allowed to come home as a changed person.
The local feeling That setup feels familiar even from far away. In Gaborone and Mogoditshane, community events can bring people together while also reminding us of old promises, uneven opportunities, and the relatives who always seem to organize everything. Russo’s focus on working-class life and economic hardship is what makes this release worth watching for me, more than the celebrity of the returning musician. The Atlantic’s recent feature gives useful context on *Under the Falls* and Russo’s interest in home.