What do readers think of Elsewhere by Richard Russo? Write your own review.

This book is for two audiences:

1. Richard Russo fans. If you have read at least one or two of his books, you will recognize the source of some of the characters, places, and storylines. Plus, it's by Richard Russo. Need I say more?

2. Anyone who has had a mother totally dependent on him or her—that is, dependence so all-encompassing that it significantly impacts your own life choices because you must (always) think of Mom first.

By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, this soul-baring memoir by one of America's best novelists is a fascinating peek into the very personal lives of one man and his mother and the small town in which they lived. Richard's mom, Jean Russo, was divorced when her son was a little boy at time when marriages—even bad ones—were held sacrosanct. (His father was an alcoholic who spent his time and money gambling, and after the divorce rarely contributed money to Richard's care.) The pair lived in a duplex with her parents in Gloversville, New York, a slowly dying factory town. Jean was fiercely independent, confident, and self-reliant, except that was mostly a show. Deep down she was terrified because she and Richard lived so close to the edge financially that one misstep or unexpected expense could spell catastrophe. But there was one other big problem: Jean was mentally ill, even though everyone then just called it "nerves." By the time Richard was 18, he was pretty much responsible for his domineering, controlling, and passive-aggressive mom in a way that most of us could never fathom.

Told with surprising honesty and a raw intimacy that occasionally brought tears to my eyes, this is a book that was, no doubt, cathartic for Russo to write and reassuring for many readers who may have endured a similar life.