Chances Are . . .: A novel

Richard Russo

Jul 2019 · Sold by Vintage

About this ebook

A NATIONAL BESTSELLER from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls • Three men in their late sixties—old friends from college, each with a secret—come together on Martha’s Vineyard in this “gripping, wise, and wonderful summer treat.” (The Boston Globe).

“A cascade of charm…. Russo is an undeniably endearing writer, and chances are this story will draw you back to the most consequential moments in your own life.” —The Washington Post

One beautiful September day, three men in their late sixties convene on Martha's Vineyard, friends ever since meeting in college in the sixties. They couldn't have been more different then, or even today—Lincoln's a commercial real estate broker, Teddy a tiny-press publisher, and Mickey is a musician beyond his rockin' age. But each man holds his own secrets, in addition to the monumental mystery that none of them has ever stopped puzzling over since a Memorial Day weekend right here on the Vineyard in 1971. Now, forty-five years later, three lives and that of a significant other are put on display while the distant past confounds the present in a relentless squall of surprise and discovery. Shot through with Russo's trademark comedy and humanity, Chances Are . . . introduces a new level of suspense and menace that will quicken the reader's heartbeat throughout this absorbing saga.

Look for Richard Russo's new book, Somebody's Fool, coming soon.

Ratings and reviews

As a big fan of his previous novel EMPIRE FALLS, I looked forward to picking up this new one by Richard Russo. But unfortunately, even Pulitzer Prize winning authors can turn out something more average. It’s 2015 and three men in their mid-sixties, friends since college, are meeting up on Martha’s Vineyard for a reunion weekend. Mickey, a struggling musician, and Teddy, a small-time publisher who is fighting mental illness, join Lincoln, a commercial real estate broker, at the rundown island home that’s been in Lincoln’s family for generations. Only now he may have to sell it to shore up his personal finances. But it turns out to be NOT your typical reunion. Because all three are haunted by the absence of the fourth member of their college group, Jacy, a complex woman all of them were in love with. Jacy disappeared in 1971 while the four of them were on Martha’s Vineyard in this very same house. Was she running away from her fiancé? Did she meet with foul play? Why have none of them heard from her in 40 years? I won’t reveal more about the plot. But the novel turns out to be more about the nature of friendship — how much truth friends actually reveal about themselves to each other, and what can happen when important information is hidden for decades. It also explores, in the absence of that knowledge, how suggestible people can be to swallowing theories and speculations — even from total strangers. And we, the readers, are also kept in the dark until close to the end of the story. So, you might say this is an object lesson in why it’s good to be more honest with your close friends. Russo manages to again create distinctive and completely believable characters, who are fully three-dimensional. (He’s very good at this!) My chief complaint with the book is how manufactured the end felt to me. I guess I felt a bit manipulated because SO MUCH had been hidden that it began to feel TOO contrived. However, I can totally imagine that others would not react the same as I did. So I’d still recommend you give this one a try. If nothing else, it's a good mystery.

About the author

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 into a multiple-award-winning miniseries; in 2017, he received France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine. He lives in Port­land, Maine.