The Falling Boy

by David Long

Set in a small town in Montana, a novel charts the inner life of construction worker Mark Singer as he weds serious Olivia, one of the four Satavros sisters, and then falls in love with one of her sisters

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Chana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the way it was written but did not enjoy the subject. To me the sin was too big. Maybe Olivia is a stronger person than I am, but forgiveness, or even acceptance without forgiveness, would probably not been something that I could do. I also felt that this was like a paper written by a male on how and why marital infidelity can be forgiven, like everyone just has their quirks or something. Mark the seduced "it happens", Linny the amoral, isn't she a "hoot"?, and Olivia the stout-hearted, calm in the face of calamity. It didn't leave me with good feelings.

[richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Long's writing style, so much so that I found I missed the book when I'd finished it, and that is unusual for me. Long shifts narration between characters, never lingering too long, but allows the plot to develop through the shifts; the method is artful, and when combined with sparse imagery, very effective. I'll be looking for more of his novels.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know when you read a finely crafted short story with vivid characters and incidents, and you wish it could go on and on? Well, this book is like that. It's written with the economy and attention to detail you find in a great short story, and instead of ending, it expands into a wonderful novel.

Long makes me think of both Chekhov and Anne Tyler. Here we have four sisters in a backwater town in northern Montana, each with a decidedly different character but still bound to each other in the way that families are. They emerge from girlhood, working in their father's restaurant, and one by one they take on their roles as adults. One marries a carpenter, fresh out of school. One marries an antique dealer. One goes off to San Francisco to live a kind of bohemian life; then returns; then leaves again. The youngest stays with her father, until he unexpectedly sells the restaurant.

It is 1952 when the novel starts. Then it jumps ahead to 1960, and the configuration of sisters takes a gradual turn as the young husband of one of them drifts into a relationship with another one. And when the inevitable revelation occurs, there is a bitter break-up, and a period of many months until things are patched up again.

The story is told mostly through the point of view of three characters - the young unfaithful husband, the youngest of the sisters, and her father, a widower whose days and nights are often warmly touched by memories of his dead wife. We meet several secondary characters, all sharply drawn and springing from the page in deftly told details of speech and behavior.

Long has a fine ability to capture characters and relationships in dialogue. He knows how people talk, how they use language to strike attitudes, pass judgments, reassure, humor each other. Meanwhile, the Montana seasons come and go - autumn, miserable winter, and early spring. Time passes, crises are resolved, lives move on. And after the pain of betrayal, separation, anger, and hurt, there is triumph over the forces that drive people apart.

I loved this book and happily recommend it to anyone who enjoys domestic comic-drama, memorable characters, and fine writing.

[Caitlin Trepp · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure I understand what the point of this book is, or it might be that I do understand and I just don't like it. The protagonist was complex and the other characters had backstories, but no one matured or evolved, which left me feeling confused. Drama happened, but I don't think anyone came out of it a better person. I am leaving this story confused, but also mildly outraged, because something happens that gets swept under the rug more than it gets resolved, and then it magically gets better, to the detriment of one character and it just left me feeling frustrated.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting story about family, marriage and relationships but it was more like a limited time period slice of life tale. I started to realize it wasn’t really going anywhere early on and that turned out to be the case, and while there were some spot-on descriptions and believable situations, ultimately it was a disappointment.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A serendipitous find at a library sale table. I'd never heard of this author before, but am delighted to report that he's a very good writer. Interesting characters in a well-painted place.

[Jane Krieger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, with believable characters and plot

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Long is a master--a master craftsman of sentences and a master storyteller. He's proof-positive that the outlines of the story don't matter as much to make a good read (the story here is pretty simple: about a transgression in a marriage), as it does how the story is told. Each of the characters here is fully-fleshed, so that in coming to know them, the reader comes to feel what they do. Fully flawed, they become very real.

There's wisdom here, too. I usually give my books away after I read them. This one is a keeper.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

On one level, a small story about the drama that envelopes and alters a family and on another, an amazing revelation about how the way we relate to ourselves controls the way we relate to others. Really compelling, moving, and beautifully written.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

By my father-in-law. Good read.

[Richard Jespers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent writing. Young couple in early 1970s and how they part and return to one another.

[Cheryl]

I do not know how this got on my to-read list. I don't like the writing style or the subject matter, even after about 50 pp.

[Wendopolis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Not a book I'll read again, although the ending was nice.