Genre: Fiction
Grade: A-
Notable People: Russell Banks
Title: Stories- a Permanent Member of the Family
Review –Banks periodically publishes books of short stores-which I find to be a relatively lost art that few do well. Banks does it well. His stories move back and forth from his small hamlet in the northern Adirondacks to Miami Beach-two places that he actually lives. They are very dark. Mostly about sad and lonely people who find themselves at a crossroads- and more than not make the wrong decision. Not uplifting and somewhat depressing but the quality of his writing and the richness of his beat down characters make the read worthwhile. He is one of our gems of living writers and still going very strong.