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A review by thrifty_librarian
Affliction by Russell Banks
3.0
I want so badly to like Russell Banks. And really, I guess I do. I've now read three of his novels: [b:Lost Memory of Skin|10870053|Lost Memory of Skin|Russell Banks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348716813s/10870053.jpg|15785308], [b:The Sweet Hereafter|26924|The Sweet Hereafter|Russell Banks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1167856529s/26924.jpg|1446] and this one (in that order). I gave each three stars, though part of me felt stingy for that, while another part of me was like, "Why did I even finish reading this?"
Banks is a master at exposing the gravity of mundane situations. He takes normal people in small towns and shows what really bad things can happen to them suddenly, with nobody to blame. There it is - that's what I like about him. He's a master at creating real characters. There's nothing I hate more than a book about "good guys" and "bad guys," which is probably why I don't read a lot of James Patterson. [b:Lost Memory of Skin|10870053|Lost Memory of Skin|Russell Banks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348716813s/10870053.jpg|15785308] features a likable pedophile, [b:The Sweet Hereafter|26924|The Sweet Hereafter|Russell Banks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1167856529s/26924.jpg|1446] is about a school bus accident that rocks a quiet neighborhood, and this novel is about policeman Wade, whose sole goal in life is to not be like his alcoholic, abusive father but ends up...an abusive alcoholic. Just like his father.
There's a weird kind of suspense in this novel. It's suspenseful because of the atmosphere - it's all dark and snowy and everybody is hunting deer, which seem to be constantly bleeding from the mouth (and you people make fun of me for eating tofu). Plus the narrator, Rolf (possible name for my first-born?), is telling Wade's story, so you just KNOW something terrible happened to Wade. And it's weird because like nothing is happening, but people start dying and Wade gets all paranoid and I felt like I had no choice but to keep reading.
Reading this made me uncomfortable, which is how I knew it was good. Wade is by no means a protagonist, but you can't hate him, even when he makes his daughter cry or lashes out at his kind-hearted girlfriend. Somehow, it's not his fault, and don't we all just feel like things are beyond our control sometimes?
Banks will never be one of my favorite authors, but if you check back with me in a year, I'll probably have read [b:Rule of the Bone|106133|Rule of the Bone|Russell Banks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348655289s/106133.jpg|226431]. The man has a hold on me.
Banks is a master at exposing the gravity of mundane situations. He takes normal people in small towns and shows what really bad things can happen to them suddenly, with nobody to blame. There it is - that's what I like about him. He's a master at creating real characters. There's nothing I hate more than a book about "good guys" and "bad guys," which is probably why I don't read a lot of James Patterson. [b:Lost Memory of Skin|10870053|Lost Memory of Skin|Russell Banks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348716813s/10870053.jpg|15785308] features a likable pedophile, [b:The Sweet Hereafter|26924|The Sweet Hereafter|Russell Banks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1167856529s/26924.jpg|1446] is about a school bus accident that rocks a quiet neighborhood, and this novel is about policeman Wade, whose sole goal in life is to not be like his alcoholic, abusive father but ends up...an abusive alcoholic. Just like his father.
There's a weird kind of suspense in this novel. It's suspenseful because of the atmosphere - it's all dark and snowy and everybody is hunting deer, which seem to be constantly bleeding from the mouth (and you people make fun of me for eating tofu). Plus the narrator, Rolf (possible name for my first-born?), is telling Wade's story, so you just KNOW something terrible happened to Wade. And it's weird because like nothing is happening, but people start dying and Wade gets all paranoid and I felt like I had no choice but to keep reading.
Reading this made me uncomfortable, which is how I knew it was good. Wade is by no means a protagonist, but you can't hate him, even when he makes his daughter cry or lashes out at his kind-hearted girlfriend. Somehow, it's not his fault, and don't we all just feel like things are beyond our control sometimes?
Banks will never be one of my favorite authors, but if you check back with me in a year, I'll probably have read [b:Rule of the Bone|106133|Rule of the Bone|Russell Banks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348655289s/106133.jpg|226431]. The man has a hold on me.