I was filled with joy when I learned that this month’s book was the next novel by Paul Russell. George and I praised The Coming Storm exactly a year ago, and I have since had time to compare and admire the way he used the rotating third person, personal voice. The device is still here in all its glory, but he’s pulled back from the Bach-like mathematical precision to allow characters to rotate within a given chapter. And there are only 2 voices, which this time feels right.
Cameron Barnes is 46 and has just sprung back from an AIDS-induced illness that very nearly killed him. He’s also just recently broken up with a long-term lover. As you might imagine, Cameron is going to spend a lot of time reflecting on his life, which he does. Observe the heartbreaking conclusion he reaches concerning his near-death experience. Thankfully, he doesn’t spend all of his time brooding. He’s an avid gardener who’s made his fortune creating gardens for the rich. He’s got a shed in need of repair. Enter the Bilvic Construction Company, led by Bill Vanderhof.
But Bill is on his deathbed. Enter instead his two sons, Kyle, 20, and Jesse, 19, who are able to fill in to do the repair work. Kyle is the alpha male of the family: ruthless, charming, dangerous, and on the express train to alcoholism. Jesse is the quiet one, remaining in the shadow of his brother. Jesse is thus the ideal candidate to be the other voice in this book.
Jesse hates a lot of things. But he won’t reveal why he hates because he’s become very adept at living a life where he doesn’t have to explain himself very much. All is revealed when necessary, as his ability to suppress fades away and the darker thoughts float to the surface. Jesse remains a superb mystery to the very end, clearly one of the finest characters ever brought to life by Russell.
Both live in Stone Hollow, in the Hudson River valley. Jesse and his family are natives; part of a well-established family where even the mayor is a Vanderhof. Jesse and Kyle are aware that the town is becoming a haven for gays fleeing the City, and resent it. They recognize Cameron right away. And yet with all this tension we get a brilliant plot that brings these characters together. Jesse and Cameron have almost nothing in common, but observe Russell’s mastery of linking them through tiny, throw-away details, like the way each reacts to Ricky Martin’s nebulous sexuality. Splendid!
I’m leaving out a lot of plot details. They’re pretty good, but they’re not what makes Russell a must-read author. Characters are his forte, and they shine. There’s Perry, a gay character you can boo right off the stage, a subtle antagonist who is doing his best to blaze an ugly future for Jesse. And there’s Tracy Parker, a very minor character with little to offer except a glimpse of a potentially happier future for Jesse. Have we heard that name before? Does he say something about having taught for a bit at Middle Forge? Indeed, this is the same Tracy Parker from The Coming Storm, about 3 years later. He has a boyfriend. He’s not escaping from anything. Add continuity to a long list of Russell virtues. Too bad we didn’t get to see the now-18 Noah. Next book?
What’s the war in The War Against the Animals? Many things. But here’s my favorite: Observe Donna’s room and her stuffed animal collection, and the way Jesse describes them. They surround him, they stare, they unnerve him. Jesse sees in them the Stone Hollow life that awaits him, the suppression of secrets, the unhappiness. It’s Jesse’s war to overcome this. Whether he succeeds is not certain. But with Tracy Parker’s appearance in this book, I have no doubt that we will someday know whether we can distinguish a NYC-dancing Jesse apart from the dance. Great read!