Russo Bridges the Past and Present of Old Town USA

Richard Russo is a master at portraying small towns whose glory days have passed. Empire Falls, his Pulitzer Prize winner from 2001, shows a quiet, unassuming man’s life shattered by old memories that make him question his own past and his family’s future. Six years later, Bridge of Sighs cleverly builds on the themes of nostalgia, regret, and community found in Empire, but through two stories this time: one about someone who stays in the town and someone who leaves it behind.

The first story is that of Lou Lynch, the owner of a convenience store “empire” in Thomaston, New York. Despite Thomaston’s fallen prestige—the county is landscaped by “For Sale” signs and abandoned lots—Lou holds a deep affection for his town, where he’s lived his whole life. Robert Noonan, a childhood friend and our second narrator, could not be more different. Once known as Bobby Marconi, Noonan left Thomaston at 18 to lead a sort of bohemian painter’s life in Italy.

Now 60 years old, Lou­—along with his wife Sarah—plans to visit Venice in conjunction with a pet project of his, a loving narration of a Thomaston “history,” while Noonan struggles to finish an art piece for his final gallery showing. Each man’s project, whether literary or visual, was begun to help put the past to rest. Over the course of the novel both men become obsessed with their work.

Rather than dividing the story, Russo’s joint narration of both men’s pseudo-struggles gives depth to his characters and back stories. Both men’s narratives are rendered with irreverent humor and a deep poignancy. There are no bit players in this book, either: every character, from Teresa Lynch, Lou’s adamantly pessimistic mother, to Gabriel Mock, the town drunk, at once captivates the reader and lends an invigorating realism to the work.

Bridge’s sole fault may be that, in its richness, it yields too much for one sitting or short period of time. Russo admitted during an interview with Powell’s that “these books seem to be getting bigger, both in the number of pages and the number of things I’m tackling” (Exclusive to Powells Author Interviews). Each protagonist has his own history, speculations, regrets, and dreams, all of which are elaborated with breath-taking detail.

As the story progresses, however, Russo seems determined to leave no issue or observation untouched—it is a wonder that he can wrap things up at all. Luckily, these detours are nonetheless intriguing, and the over-arching message remains clear: no matter which road you choose in life, you will always wonder about the path you didn’t follow and feel a sense of regret when the door clicks closed behind you.

In all, Bridge of Sighs is an achingly beautiful novel, one that manages to travel through time and between personas to deliver a tale of old friends, of the dissolution of a way of life, and also a reflection on life itself. The novel is more epic than Russo’s former works. Anyone who has considered whether it is better to love or to be loved, whether to remain forever or to depart without looking back, whether to find solace in the immutable or attempt to make it change, can be sure to find a friend in contemplation in Russo.