3.5
Sh*tshow
By Richard RussoPublisher Description
A Vintage Shorts Short Story original.
David and Ellie didn’t realize how much they have missed their friends, two other couples who had moved out of their modest neighborhood in a desert city for the comforts of the suburbs, until the day of Donald Trump’s election. Separated also from their daughter who lived hours away in California, they were in a funk. But, when Ellie discovers a repellant offering floating in the small Jacuzzi in their backyard, David is blindsided. Little does he know this is but the first in a chain of grisly events that would play out in their lives with devastating consequences.
In this darkly humorous, incisive and absorbing political parable, written with the remarkable humanity he’s beloved for with countless fans, Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Russo probes how deeply, yet imperceptibly, fissures can form amongst friends, neighbors, and families.
An ebook short.
Look for Richard Russo's new book, Somebody's Fool, coming soon.
David and Ellie didn’t realize how much they have missed their friends, two other couples who had moved out of their modest neighborhood in a desert city for the comforts of the suburbs, until the day of Donald Trump’s election. Separated also from their daughter who lived hours away in California, they were in a funk. But, when Ellie discovers a repellant offering floating in the small Jacuzzi in their backyard, David is blindsided. Little does he know this is but the first in a chain of grisly events that would play out in their lives with devastating consequences.
In this darkly humorous, incisive and absorbing political parable, written with the remarkable humanity he’s beloved for with countless fans, Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Russo probes how deeply, yet imperceptibly, fissures can form amongst friends, neighbors, and families.
An ebook short.
Look for Richard Russo's new book, Somebody's Fool, coming soon.
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities3 Reviews
3.5
Allison Broad
Created almost 2 years agoShare
Report
Rawan
Created over 4 years agoShare
Report
JustJanet
Created over 4 years agoShare
Report
“I don’t know if this should count as a book, it was a short story by Richard Russo who often writes brilliantly about small town life. I listened to this in audio.
It takes place in Tucson, immediately after the 2016 presidential election, where we find David & Ellie, retired University of Arizona professors with a series of problems.
The first problem is that they are feeling isolated as their friends have moved away and their only daughter lives in California. The second problem is that someone is leaving them “presents" in their hot tub.
The “presents” become a metaphor for everything that has gone wrong since the election. It’s never stated but inferred that they are being targeted because they are liberals who didn’t vote for Trump. Ellie becomes increasingly upset and David seems incapable of solving the problem so she starts to blame him and even distrust him. Their daughter is going through a divorce. Matters take a turn for the worse when David finds out that one of his friends voted for Trump. So everything in their lives is indeed a “sh*tshow”.
There were some really humorous scenes in this story and I recommend it wholeheartedly to my liberal friends.”
About Richard Russo
Richard Russo is the author of nine novels, most recently Chances Are..., Everybody’s Fool and That Old Cape Magic; two collections of stories; and the memoir Elsewhere. In 2002 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Empire Falls, which like Nobody’s Fool was adapted to film, in a multiple-award-winning HBO miniseries; in 2016 he was given the Indie Champion Award by the American Booksellers Association; and in 2017 he received France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine. He lives in Portland, Maine.
Other books by Richard Russo
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?