Nobody's Fool

Richard Russo

Let me first say, I loved, loved, loved this book. It had me laughing out loud so many times. On the face of it, it doesn't seem like much of a story. The principal character is Don Sullivan, or Sully as his friends call him, who lives in a small town called Bath. At the start, we find out that Sully is sixty, has a busted knee and is on disability payments while his lawyer tries to get the insurance company to pay up. Unfortunately, despite being to court numerous times, Sully has yet to get a single cent. So, he's considering going back to work, even though he's quite unfit to do so. And so, we follow Sully around as he tries to get some work from the guy he loves to hate, gets a crush on this guy's wife, has an on-again off-again relationship with his mistress, spends more time with his son who has spent more time with his stepfather than with Sully ... The list just goes on. The strength of this story lies in its wonderful characterisations. Apart from Sully, who is a lovable, stubborn, rascal, there's Rub Squeers, a slow-witted man whose best traits are his loyalty to Sully and his good nature. Then there's Beryl Peoples, Sully's landlady, who has a sharp tongue and a sharp wit and who's not afraid to use either. There's also Sully's one-legged lawyer and mad old Hattie who refuses to leave her diner just so she can hear the cash register ring, and plenty more. The story is filled with jokes and running gags, which can only be fully appreciated by getting to know these people. When I finished, I closed the book with a smile on my face, feeling that the world was a pretty decent place still.