Affliction by Russell Banks (ISBN:0060920076)

English (US)

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		Affliction
	
				(4 reviews)			
(248 Readers)

			Russell Banks		
	
Wade Whitehouse is an improbable protagonist for a tragedy. A well-digger and policeman in a bleak New Hampshire town, he is a former high-school...more
 Wade Whitehouse is an improbable protagonist for a tragedy. A well-digger and policeman in a bleak New Hampshire town, he is a former high-school star gone to beer fat, a loner with a mean streak.It is a mark of Russell Banks' artistry and understanding that Wade comes to loom in one's mind as a blue-collar American Everyman afflicted by the dark secret of the macho tradition.  Told by his articulate, equally scarred younger brother, Wade's story becomes as spellbinding and inexorable as a fuse burning its way to the dynamite.   less

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							Nicola
						
							few weeks ago						
"There but for the grace of God go I" is more or less the theme of this book.  If circumstances allow, could this really be any one of us?  Russell Banks frequently refers to this idea in his books. It's an important message.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I loved this book and the movie.  Wade is such a sad character and Nick Nolte does such a wonderful job of portraying him.  This movie and book makes me want to be a writer!  Go Russell Banks!

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
A gripping examination of the blue-collar, backwoods New England male psyche, as told from the perspective of his brother. Tough to put this one down once you start getting into it.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
This is officially the saddest, most depressing book I have ever read.  However, the reason it is so affecting is because of the masterful writing. I recommend the book because of the beauty of the writing, but caution anyone with even an ounce of empathy that it is very, very hard not to walk away feeling affected by it.  Read at your own risk, but read and be changed.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Banks is such a gifted storyteller! The characters are perfectly formed, and the plot is compelling. One of the things I like best about this book is the depth of insight into the protagonist -- a man who'd determinedly lacking in self awareness. 

I strongly recommend it.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I am beginning to really like Banks' books.  His characters walk a line between getting their lives together and falling off the deep end. This book is intense, but well worth the read.

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							Jeanna 
						
							few weeks ago						
Absolutely terrible. Forced to read it for a book club.

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							Snotchocheez
						
							few weeks ago						
As I sit here typing this, I recalled why I chose to re-read this book:  It's 96 degrees today with 95% humidity and wanted something cool to think about...and this filled the bill...albeit in a depressing manner.  "Affliction" is chilly all right...and not just the setting (the New Hampshire Mountains in the wintertime)...it's somber, totally depressing stuff...and yet...not so over the top that...more
 As I sit here typing this, I recalled why I chose to re-read this book:  It's 96 degrees today with 95% humidity and wanted something cool to think about...and this filled the bill...albeit in a depressing manner.  "Affliction" is chilly all right...and not just the setting (the New Hampshire Mountains in the wintertime)...it's somber, totally depressing stuff...and yet...not so over the top that you can't get chills down the spine wondering what nadirs of depravity the protagonist (a small town cop and well-driller) will sink to.  Mr. Banks seems to have cornered the "familial abuse fiction" market ("The Sweet Hereafter" also immediately comes to mind) but he does it so well and so thoughtfully that he doesn't bludgeon the reader over the head with the abusive relationships (well, on second thought, maybe he does, but he tempers it with well-thought-out musings on whence the abuse occurs).   hide

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