No more tapes??? I miss my friends from Empire Falls!!

I recently took a trip out of town - and drove.. SIGH!! Sometimes it seems as though my life is one giant car trip. But on the bright side, I was able to finish Richard Russo's "Empire Falls" with undivided attention. That's right - I didn't watch the road, or pay attention to pedestrians.. I was busy being entertained.

Although this review is obviously about Richard Russo's novel - I'm giving my perspective on the unabridged audio book. Not only is this one of the most well-written stories about small-town life, the performance by Ron McLarty brings it to life in full technicolor. If they have awards for audiobooks, someone let me know because I have a nomination.

The story begins with the history of Empire Falls' glory days - when the mills were alive and kicking, jobs were aplenty - and C.B. Whiting was carrying on the family tradition of trying to kill his nagging wench of a wife. Apparently all the Whiting men married horrible women - and all were driven to the brink of homicide. The Whitings had owned the mills, and most of the town, for generations. All of this wealth and power eventually ended up in the hands of C.B. Whiting's wife, Francine. (Don't jump to conclusions about whether or not C.B. succeeded in murdering her - I would hate to give anything away!)

The opening segment about the past fades into the present. Francine Whiting is pretty much all of the wealth left in Empire Falls. The mills have closed, the population has dwindled - and you can literally close your eyes and visualize Empire Falls starving to death. What was once a booming small-ish town is now a struggling small town.

The protagonist of the story is Miles Roby - a big teddy bear of a man who runs the Empire Grill (which, of course, is owned by Mrs. Whiting.) Miles was a man that the entire town had high hopes for - he's intelligent and actually escaped the town's grasp for a short time during college.. but was pulled back when his mother, Grace, fell ill.

So we meet Miles, who is ending a marriage with Janine. Janine is remarrying "The Silver Fox" - a man who thinks he is bodybuilder extraordinaire (even though he's creeping into old age) and never misses an opportunity to strip to his muscle shirt in the Grill and heckle Miles into an arm-wrestling match.

In the middle of all of this, is Miles and Janine's introspective and beautiful teenage daughter, Tick. On top of all of this is Miles's rambunctious father, Max. And last but not least, is the undercurrent of the story, Miles's late mother, Grace.

Although Grace is dead long before we meet Miles, we come to know her through his memories. Grace was the housekeeper to Mrs. Whiting and the surrogate mother to her daughter, Cindy. Miles never quite understood his mother's loyalty to Mrs. Whiting - but does realize that something about it fuels Mrs. Whiting's desire to control him. Controlling Miles is something Mrs. Whiting seems to do with ease - she entices him with the promise of leaving the Grill to him after her death.. something his brother tries to make him realize may never happen - or at least not before they are old men themselves.

Empire Falls is both the story of Miles - and the town itself, as Russo paints such a vivid characterization of both. I really love the way he builds his characters through other characters. Miles is adored by almost everyone in the town - with the exception of the "bad cop," Jimmy Minty - whose obnoxious teenage son is forever pursuing Tick. We see from the crippled Cindy Whiting, who forever had a crush on Miles - and whom he could never be rude to, that Miles has a good heart. We see his lost dreams of love in Charlene, the waitress at the Grill. We learn of his hopes and dreams through all the other people who live in Empire Falls.

My description of this story makes it seem so mundane - and I'm afraid it won't do Empire Falls justice, because this novel is far from mundane. Russo weaves such an intricate web of colorful characters it's amazing. From the reporter with a giant, veiny tumor growing out of his head - to the senile Catholic Priest who's taken to profanity and going pantless.. I enjoyed every moment. I found myself laughing out loud many times.

"One of the good things about small towns, Miles's mother had always maintained, was that they accommodated just about everyone"

If you've ever lived in a small town, you will appreciate how this book brings it to life. If you've spent an entire lifetime in the city - well, you've missed out on something. There's nothing like everyone knowing every mistake you've made since birth to humble you. :)

There is more to the plot than I've elaborated - because there are so many subplots running all at the same time. Russo gives you one perspective on the characters at the beginning, but through colorful anecdotes that allow you to know them on a more intimate level, you realize that nothing is as it seems upon first glance.

I have read some reviews that said they found the story boring at times.. I would disagree wholeheartedly and point them directly to the audiobook. Ron McLarty does excellent voices - and performs for 21 hours like he's acting in an Academy Award winning movie.

Empire Falls is funny and tragic - heartbreaking and heartwarming. Empire Falls is a little chunk of life.. and it's a place I wish I could visit and stay awhile. When I put in the last tape, a sort of sadness set in. I realized my time in this town was coming to an end. I really wish I could check in from time to time and see how my friends are doing.