The Reserve (Harper)
Russell Banks, one of the great living American novelists, uses
the 1930's novel of passion and betrayal -- with its allied seductions,
madness, and adultery -- to explore America's class system; the
relationships between art, politics and wealth; and the despoiling of
the American Landscape. Although these are classic Russell Banks
themes, this novel explodes with a passionate intensity that is
exceptional for him. (An abridged version of this interview will be heard live on KCRW due to our semi-annual subscription drive. It will be archived in its entirety online.)
Banner image: Ileana Florescu