He jokes about his mediocre job, his lack of self-esteem (his one novel, 20 years ago, got good reviews but didn't sell) and his role as goad and gadfly to his friends and enemies. After his miserable childhood as the son of a chilly mother and a downright icy father-a renowned professor, literary critic and adulterer-Hank has avoided confrontation with his emotions. Pushing 50, Hank is suffering a midlife crisis he will not acknowledge. It's a vintage Russo scene, and there are others like it in this hilarious, wise and compassionate novel.
Picture this: William Henry (Hank) Devereaux Jr., tenured professor at a second-rank college in Pennsylvania, where he is chairman of the fractious English Department, faces TV cameras wearing a false nose and glasses, brandishing a goose over his head and threatening to kill a duck a day until he gets a budget.
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