Richard Russo Books in Order

A collection of twelve essays divided into two parts. Russo examines the personal—including family health scares and the pandemic—alongside the professional, offering a master class on how life experiences are transformed into fiction.

The conclusion to the North Bath trilogy. Years after Sully's death, his son Peter and the remaining residents of North Bath face the annexation of their town by a wealthier neighbor. Old friends and new arrivals grapple with the legacy Sully left behind.

A reflective essay on the writer's interior life. Russo explores how authors process the world around them, deciding what to keep and what to discard, and how reading and writing serve as essential tools for understanding difficult times.

A sharp, satirical short story set in the aftermath of the 2016 election. A couple finds their social circle fracturing over politics, while a bizarre act of vandalism in their hot tub brings tensions to a breaking point.

Three old college friends reunite on Martha's Vineyard, forty years after a fateful summer. As they catch up, they are forced to confront the mystery of Jacy, the woman they all loved, who vanished without a trace back in 1971.

A collection of essays on writing and life. Russo reflects on his craft, his blue-collar roots, and the authors who influenced him, offering intimate insights into the creative process and the humor required to survive the literary world.

A collection of four stories, including the novella "Intervention." The characters—professors, realtors, and screenwriters—find themselves at crossroads, dealing with career failures and moral dilemmas in this sharp examination of the writing life and the passage of time.

A short story focusing on a young boy named Linwood Hart who tries to make sense of his parents' disintegrating marriage. Through the lens of Little League baseball and childhood imagination, he observes the confusing adult world around him.

In this sequel to *Nobody's Fool*, decades have passed in North Bath, and Sully is still navigating the town's mishaps. The story widens to follow police chief Doug Raymer and other locals as they deal with new scandals, old graves, and the absurdity of daily life.

A unique collaboration between Russo and his daughter, artist Kate Russo. This collection features a novella and three short stories, accompanied by illustrations, dealing with themes of mortality, creative struggles, and the enduring pull of home.

A memoir about Russo's relationship with his difficult, indomitable mother. He chronicles their life in Gloversville, New York, and her dependence on him as he built his own life, offering a personal look at the places and people that inspired his fiction.

Jack Griffin has spent years trying to escape his parents' shadow, but two weddings and a funeral pull him back into the past. Set largely on Cape Cod, this novel explores the baggage of marriage and family as Jack confronts his own midlife disillusionment.

An anthology of true stories edited by Richard Russo, featuring essays by Maine authors about end-of-life care and the hospice experience. These personal accounts offer a moving look at compassion, grief, and the profound human connections that occur during the final stages of life.

Lou C. Lynch, a convenience store owner in upstate New York, prepares for a trip to Italy with his wife to visit an old friend. As he recounts his life story, a tale unfolds about childhood friendship, love triangles, and the truths that stay buried in a small town.

A collection of seven short stories exploring the lives of professors, nuns, and writers. From a nun invading a creative writing class to a filmmaker returning to his hometown, these tales examine how people construct their own histories and the truths they try to avoid.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Miles Roby manages the Empire Grill in a fading Maine town, tethered to the job by a wealthy matriarch and his own sense of duty. As he watches his town and family struggle, a series of events forces him to confront the secrets of his past.

William Henry Devereaux, Jr., the reluctant chairman of the English department at a Pennsylvania college, faces a midlife crisis of epic proportions. Between budget cuts, a threatening goose, and a potential prostate problem, he navigates a week of absurdity in this hilarious campus satire.

Sully is a sixty-year-old construction worker in North Bath, New York, dealing with a bad knee, an estranged son, and a landlord he can't quite quit. This warm, humorous novel follows a man who has made a lifetime of bad choices as he faces the possibility of finally getting something right.

Ned Hall grows up in Mohawk, New York, caught between his nervously refined mother and his father Sam, a brawling heavy drinker. As Ned navigates his chaotic upbringing, the novel offers a funny and moving look at the bond between a son and his dangerously irresponsible father.

In the declining leather town of Mohawk, New York, the lives of three generations intersect in a story of secrets and old grudges. Dallas Younger drifts through life while his ex-wife Anne cares for her invalid father, as they all struggle to find their footing in a place that has seen better days.