Russo incorporates many of the same themes from his earlier books, but I did not find Under the Falls as layered and nuanced as his previous novels. The characters in Under the Falls seemed to be stereotypes of those found in “small town” America. Curt, one of the protagonists, is the chief of police. He is in a bad marriage to his high school sweetheart, Freddi, and condones the illegal activity she spearheads. There has been little positive growth in their lives, and they mostly feel resentment and a sense of entrapment. It is difficult to warm up to them since they are so miserable and isolated. Their stunted personal growth serves as a bleak reflection of the tired, neglected community they inhabit.
The story’s action revolves around the return of Curt’s childhood friend, Tyler Sinclair, who has become a famous rock star and agrees to perform a benefit concert in Stone Mountain, a fictional town in New York State near Albany that serves as the book’s setting. Tyler had never wanted to return to his past, and from the moment he arrives, he gets bad vibes and negative messages. Therein lies the main message of Russo’s book and a dismal one at that: few people escape the provincial nature of small town living, and if you are one of those who does manage to create a life elsewhere, there is no joy in returning. People hold onto old grievances, and relationships become convoluted rather than growing and propagating. Russo also conveys the message that childhood experiences are an integral part of one’s fabric, and that life’s outcomes depend on how, or whether, you deal with the events of the formative years.
As Tyler and Curt become reacquainted, the positive and negative aspects of their friendship become apparent, and the flaws in male friendships form the basis for a predictable plot that may be meant as dramatic irony, since readers can figure out what Curt and Tyler only discover at the end of the novel. Without providing spoilers, an important theme Russo repeatedly emphasizes through Tyler is the “world of IS and the world of MEANING.” In other words, grappling with reality and recognizing what is happening or figuring out the meaning in the events of one’s life is part of self-development, and it is mighty difficult when the community cannot bear any changes.
Since Russo’s writing is engaging, I stayed interested in reading this book even though nothing really happened after the first few chapters. I think that was the point. The small town of Stone Mountain had dividing lines between the haves and have-nots. Those who stay there accept the precepts of living in a time warp. Companionship is important in a variety of relationships, many of which are shallow and meaningless. Time passes, but humans are somewhat powerless. The characters are amazingly unaware of the details of their lives and accept circumstances somewhat passively. It takes newcomers such as Deb, a new police officer, to question what has been accepted for generations and a returnee such as Tyler to recognize that there are age-old problems to address.
