A Permanent Member of the Family

By Russell Banks

One of America's most prestigious writers, Russell Banks is a literary icon whose works probe the deepest recesses of American life. His profound and resonant stories of the lives of ordinary Americans have appeared regularly in anthologies and collections, including The Best American Short Stories. Reminiscent of Don DeLillo and Raymond Carver, this collection of twelve short works showcases a master at the peak of his intuitive powers. As he did in his haunting, classic works The Sweet Hereafter, Rule of the Bone and Lost Memory of Skin, Banks explores provocative themes with pathos and sharp insight. Each of the stories in this powerful collection demonstrates the range of his narrative virtuosity and a startlingly panoramic vision of humanity which recalls the moral sweep of John Steinbeck's writing. A Permanent Member of the Family is a stunning addition to the canon of a writer 'whose great works resonate with such heart and soul' (New York Times).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clerkenwell Press
• Release date: Nov 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781782830276

Russell Banks

Russell Banks, twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, was one of America’s most prestigious fiction writers, a past president of the International Parliament of Writers, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work has been translated into twenty languages and he received numerous prizes and awards, including the Common Wealth Award for Literature. He died in January 2023 at the age of eighty-two.  

Reviews for A Permanent Member of the Family

[viviennestrauss · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

a real montage of stories, some better than others

[ozzer_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Russell Banks’ writes a collection of highly accessible stories about Americans, who have failed or are struggling for one reason or another and are now face opportunities for redemption. Should they take a chance, stay the course or just sit it out? The answers are not entirely clear for any of his characters. An African-American woman saves up to pay cash of a used car, but finds herself trapped in a situation that offers her few viable options. A middle-aged plumbing and heating supplier is offered a second chance for an extra-marital dalliance at a convention. An ex-marine resorts to armed robbery to make ends meet after losing his job. A newly widowed woman seeks to convince a close friend to join her in a new life in Florida. A heart transplant recipient meets his donor’s widow. Some characters cope with loss while others win big. Still others seem to be content to just sit on the sidelines and watch others.

[nivramkoorb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my first Russell Banks collection of short stories and it was excellent. Previously I had read a couple of his novels, one of which "The Cloudsplitter" was a great book about John Brown. The stories in this collection were about people mainly in upstate New York or Miami who are dealing with the downside of life. He quickly gets into the story and the characters and writes his prose in a clear style free from the word smithing that we are seeing so much today. I do appreciate an author's ability to use language but a simple style and an interesting story are still what good writing is all about. One story "Blue" about a woman in a used car dealership was worth the entire collection. This was a short collection and having read this I now intend to go back and read some more Russell Banks.

[froxgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I once dreaded short stories, but since so many of my favorite writers have been producing such gems as these stories by Russell Banks, I'm completely won over. Tom Perrotta, Andre Dubus III, Jess Walters - all their collections have been great recent pleasures.Here Russell Banks explores his two home turfs, mean and rural New Hampshire and frowsy Miami, with realistically rendered characters and situations. In fact, in my favorite "Searching for Veronica", he is in the tale.Other favorites were "Former Marine", about a father in dire straits, "Transplant", where an organ recipient meets the wife of a his donor, and "Snowbirds", a gem of a widow's tale of two states, NH and FL.Rather than feeling cheated by the lack of novel length, I'm now very happy with the feelings evoked by these brief encounters.