BELFAST — Left Bank Books, in downtown Belfast, invites the public to meet author Richard Russo at a talk and book signing on Thursday, August 10, at 7 p.m. The free event will be held at the First Church across the street from the bookshop.

Russo is celebrating the recent release of Somebody’s Fool, his third novel set in the small, deadbeat town of North Bath in upstate New York. Many of the characters that populated the first two books in this trilogy —Everybody’s Fool and Nobody’s Fool — are on the pages again of Somebody’s Fool.

Ten years after the death of the magnetic Donald “Sully” Sullivan — portrayed by Paul Newman in the 1994 film adaptation of Nobody’s Fool — the town of North Bath is going through a major transition as it is annexed by its much wealthier neighbor, Schuyler Springs. Despite Sully’s demise, he casts a long shadow over the lives of the remaining population including Rub, his old sidekick; his on-again, off-again nemesis Doug Raymer, chief of police; and Ruth, his long-time love. At the same time, Peter, Sully’s son, is grappling with his father’s legacy as well as his relationship to his own son, Thomas.

“Russo is a master of rich characters and pitch-perfect descriptions of small-town America. From the gossip and the resentments to the people and the cafes, he chronicles blue-collar America in ways constantly surprising and utterly revealing,” said Left Bank, in a news release.

Russo is the author of nine novels — including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Empire Falls (2002), two collections of short stories; a memoir, and a collection of essays. In 2016 he was given the Indie Champion Award by the American Booksellers Association and in 2017 he received France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine. He has two daughters and lives with his wife in Portland, Maine.

Although the event is free, and seating is first-come, first-served, reservations are strongly recommended by calling 207-338-9009 or emailing: info@leftbankbookshop.com.

Ample free parking is available in front of the shop, in an adjacent public parking lot, and on the streets bordering the First Church.