Everybody’s Fool is a chaotic yet well-balanced read. Although its crowded, frantic plot unfolds over just two days, the action pauses every so often to consider the rich backstories of characters such as Raymer, Sully, Ruth, Rub, Gus, and Roy. The violence and gloom surrounding the ensemble of characters, who are almost all deeply unhappy, is offset by the novel’s humorous tone. Mundane problems such as financial duress and marital discord, clash with surreal plot twists such as escaped cobras and electrical storms to great effect. Even minor characters, including the elderly Morrison Arms resident who sits outside waving a flag and the local racist who can’t pronounce the word “Hispanic,” are drawn in evocative detail.
Author Richard Russo chooses to explore complicated themes in a relatively simple moral universe. Characters such as Roy, Kurt, and William Smith are conspicuous and despicable villains who behave badly and have no redeeming qualities. The “good guys” are fools, not heroes, but Russo sketches them with a certain affection. He offers explanations, if not excuses, for people’s faults. Though their behavior is often strange, the reader understands what makes these characters tick.
Russo uses a few technical devices to help shape the story. One is that he metes out information in such a way that the reader often stays ahead of the characters. For example, most readers will determine the identity of Becka’s secret lover long before Raymer does, which exacerbates his foolishness. Also, Russo often ends chapters on cliffhangers that remain unresolved until the narrative catches up with simultaneous events experienced by other characters. The narrative is complex, with many separate and intersecting plot lines that Russo handles skillfully.