If you loved Empire Falls, you’re in for a treat. Richard Russo’s latest is another peek into a small town and its collection of quirky inhabitants.

 The story is told as a biography of the main character, “Lucy” (Lou C.) Lynch, the only son of a milkman and part-time bookkeeper. The storyline develops as the once prosperous town faces it’s demise. “By this time next year all of Thomaston would fit neatly in the small rectangle of a rearview mirror.” His parents decide to buy the closing corner store  known as Ikey Lubin’s, thereby defining themselves as permanent residents of the small town whose river runs red from the pollution of the town’s factory.

 The gaps in the telling, are filled in with backflashes that make for a well-structured novel.  It is a lengthy tale, perhaps too long in some areas, but it contains enough twists in the plot to keep it interesting.