Empire Falls by Richard Russo

Monday, October 22 through Friday, November 16, 2001. Read by Jim Fleming.

Small towns “force you to deal with your neighbour in a way people in cities and larger towns don’t have to” says Richard Russo. He demonstrates this in his epic new novel about a small town in Maine. Empire Falls has fallen on hard time, it’s main street so empty “you could strafe it with automatic weapons and not harm a soul.” But the people who surround Miles Roby at Francine’s Empire Grill make it all worthwhile.

(Knopf; ISBN-10: 0679432477)

Theme: Joshua Redman: The Best is Yet to Come, from the soundtrack to “Space Cowboys” (Maiposo/Warner Bros 9 47848-2)