The Risk Pool
Encyclopedia
The Risk Pool is Pulitzer Prize
-winning writer Richard Russo
's second novel
. First published in 1988, The Risk Pool is a Bildungsroman
or "coming of age" novel set in fictional Mohawk, New York, a dying blue-collar town. The Risk Pool was well received by critics, such as The New York Times
, which called it a "superbly original, maliciously funny book" and praised Russo's "brilliant, deadpan writing." Warner Bros. Pictures is reportedly developing a movie based on the book, with Tom Hanks
starring as Ned Hall's father and Lawrence Kasdan
writing the script and directing.
, a town very similar to Russo's fictional Mohawk. Like Mohawk, Gloversville's economy is centered around the leather
industry, and both towns suffered economic decline in the second half of the twentieth century. In a 1993 interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, Russo revealed that his own father had exhibited many of the same characteristics as Sam Hall. Russo's father "lived a life of studied bad habits", leaving his wife and ignoring his son until he was "old enough to follow him into the OTB
and then into the bar and then into the pool hall." In The Risk Pool, Sam Hall interacts with his son Ned at an earlier age, but much of their time together is spent in bars, pool halls and gambling establishments. Some of Ned's life experiences mirror the author's. Both left upstate New York to attend college in the Southwest United States, and both started and subsequently abandoned PhD
programs.
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning writer Richard Russo
Richard Russo
Richard Russo is an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and teacher.-Early life and education:Russo was born in Johnstown, New York, and raised in nearby Gloversville...
's second novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
. First published in 1988, The Risk Pool is a Bildungsroman
Bildungsroman
In literary criticism, bildungsroman or coming-of-age story is a literary genre which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood , and in which character change is thus extremely important...
or "coming of age" novel set in fictional Mohawk, New York, a dying blue-collar town. The Risk Pool was well received by critics, such as The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, which called it a "superbly original, maliciously funny book" and praised Russo's "brilliant, deadpan writing." Warner Bros. Pictures is reportedly developing a movie based on the book, with Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
starring as Ned Hall's father and Lawrence Kasdan
Lawrence Kasdan
Lawrence Edward "Larry" Kasdan is an American film producer, director and screenwriter.-Life and career:Kasdan was born in Miami, Florida, the son of Sylvia Sarah , an employment counselor, and Clarence Norman Kasdan, who managed retail electronics stores.His Brother is the writer/producer Mark...
writing the script and directing.
Plot introduction
The plot follows narrator Ned Hall through four periods of his life, focusing specifically on Hall's relationship with his loutish and, in his best friend's words, "rockheaded" father.Influences
Many important elements of The Risk Pool were based on the author's own experience growing up in Gloversville, New YorkGloversville, New York
Gloversville is a city in Fulton County, New York, that was once the hub of America's glovemaking industry with over two hundred manufacturers in Gloversville and Johnstown. In 2000, Gloversville had a population of 15,413. Ten years later, the population had increased to 15,665- History :The...
, a town very similar to Russo's fictional Mohawk. Like Mohawk, Gloversville's economy is centered around the leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
industry, and both towns suffered economic decline in the second half of the twentieth century. In a 1993 interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, Russo revealed that his own father had exhibited many of the same characteristics as Sam Hall. Russo's father "lived a life of studied bad habits", leaving his wife and ignoring his son until he was "old enough to follow him into the OTB
Off-track betting
Off-track betting refers to sanctioned gambling on horse racing outside a race track.-US history:...
and then into the bar and then into the pool hall." In The Risk Pool, Sam Hall interacts with his son Ned at an earlier age, but much of their time together is spent in bars, pool halls and gambling establishments. Some of Ned's life experiences mirror the author's. Both left upstate New York to attend college in the Southwest United States, and both started and subsequently abandoned PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
programs.
Release details
- 1988, United States, Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
ISBN 0394565274, Pub date 1988-09-12, Hardcover 1st Edition - 1994, United States, VintageVintage (publisher)Vintage Books is a publishing imprint founded in 1954 by Alfred A. Knopf. Its publishing list includes world literature, fiction, and non-fiction...
ISBN 0679753834 Pub date May, 1994, Vintage Contemporaries Trade paperback edition