The fourth story I chose to read is called Poison. The main character in this story is a man who has recently reached mild success, and now has some money and may be considered rich. He is married to a woman named Clare. The story takes place when the main character's friend, Gene, comes to visit his house. Clare and her husband are going away for two weeks to visit their son who is traveling in Europe. They have invited Gene to come live in their house and he is going to, with his new wife, Portia. Gene and the main character are about 50 years old, and it is implied that Portia is significantly younger, perhaps around 25 or 30 years old. The story takes place in one night, telling the conversations between Portia, Gene, the main character (who remains nameless throughout the story) and Clare. The beginning of the story is also told through flash-back anecdotes from the narrator and main character's point of view. The flashbacks are mainly from summers before Clare and the main character had enough money to purchase the house they currently live in, which they wanted for a very long time.
We also find out, later in the story, about the fathers of Gene and the main character, and how the main character and Gene know each other. There is a mill in the town that Gene and the main character grew up in, where both fathers work, that contained toxic chemicals that gave the people in the town cancer. The main character's father died of cancer, and it's clear Gene blames his father for this, saying that his father poisoned him. We get a sense of guilt and blame Gene places on himself for what his father does. Gene wants to fight the town the men grew up and destroy the mill. At the very end of the story, we learn that the main character had a malignant tumor that he had surgery on. He chooses not to tell Gene about this, as to not add more fuel to his fire.
Richard Russo's story almost always contain many flashbacks told through the main character or the narrator's point of view. These flashbacks are done effectively, so much so that we are able to get a feeling of multiple stories going out at one time. This story is very similar to the other stories in this collection, because Richard Russo uses flashbacks to create multiple plots that all come together in the end of the story. He also creates a very simple main character and there doesn't seem to be one major problem or conflict throughout the story. There's nothing huge going on, no giant plot twist and yet he leaves readers wondering what exactly everything in the story means. Richard Russo always end with a very powerful, but confusing quote that leaves the reader puzzled. This story is no different, ending with, "I limped home, feeling something new and toxic coursing through my veins." This can be taken literally, since the entire story in written about the poison Gene's father has given to so many people. But it can also be taken metaphorically, while leaves readers with a lot to think about at the end of this story.
