The Book of Ralph

Several years ago I came across McNally's short-story collection Troublemakers, and enjoyed it immensely. Three of the stories from that collection (The Vomitorium, Smoke, The Grand Illusion) reappear here in slightly different form as chapters, and almost every other chapter has appeared in various lit journals or alternative media. Indeed the book is really an anthology of related stories about one character which share a tone that mixes humor, pathos, and keen observation. Those looking for a strong narrative framework may be disappointed, but this free-form approach allows McNally to create a series of extremely strong stories that form a very compelling coming of age story.The book is about Hank, a 13-year-old kid growing up in southwest Chicago in the late '70s, and develops his friendship with Ralph, who is two years older. Hank is a prototypical lower-middle class white kid, average grades, unremarkable looks, dead center in the pecking order, and nothing to distinguish himself except being friends with Ralph. Ralph, on the other hand, is known throughout the junior high and neighborhood as someone to avoid at all costs. Without firm parental authority at home, he's turned into a bit of a bully and small-time juvenile delinquent, but is also wildly imaginative, and constantly dreaming up bizarre schemes to raise money and extract revenge on the world. Their friendship is unlikely, and Hank ascribes it to an innate politeness. From their first encounter, Hank has always been too polite to reject Ralph, and so he becomes a kind of default sidekick. This creates a tension that runs throughout the first section: will Hank ever be able to break free of Ralph, or will he get caught up in and dragged down by the effects of the older boy's wildness?The book's style is very direct and full of satirical and deadpan humor. Hank and Ralph are vivid fictional versions of instantly recognizable types that will be familiar to anyone who's spent their early teen years in America. Beyond Hank and Ralph, most of the supporting characters are equally vivid. Hank's father is a factory worker at the 3M plant who's always drinking and thinking about how the world is trying to screw him over. Hank's sister Kelly is a sardonic mystery who can't wait to grow up and move on to her real life. Ralph's 20ish cousin Norm and his best-friend Kenny are the quintessential Midwestern metalhead hoodlums who hang out with younger kids and inexplicably involve them in their own bizarre schemes.The first thirteen chapters (over half the book), are set in that late '70s period, and are only connected in time and place, with little if any linkage between stories. Topics include a scheme to sell a trunk full of stolen Tootsie Rolls, Hank's kleptomaniac grandmother, a creepy ex-hippie record store owner, Hank's father's attempt to win a neighborhood Christmas decoration contest using salvaged junk, a trip to the shopping center, a trip to the drive-in, a trip across town to spy o

This is a fantastic read--a real page-turner. Congratulations to John McNally for being a gifted storyteller and for putting this collection together in an interesting and creative manner. He has presented a true time capsule complete with scenery, music, language and costume. Ralph is the boy we all knew--an attention hound dressed in a flannel shirt, who spent a lot of time in the school hallways on his way to the dean's office. Hank, however, who tells his stories from the gray, "who am I" world of suburban Chicago in the 70s, is the boy who faded into the woodwork. He's the boy who was up for anything to make his world a little more exciting and often didn't have a choice when it came to dealing with his eccentric father and, of course, Ralph. Each character, including Hank's sister Kelly and even the lady next door, Mrs. Rybecki, who suffers from Tourette's syndrome, are keenly developed and highly entertaining. When we meet Hank in the future, he's like the guy at your 25th class reunion who everyone wants to know. Even though he's down on his luck and must resort to a life in Ralph's domain, he's interesting, good looking sensitive and . . . funny. Somehow you just know that everything is A-OK with Hank. I loved this book. Michele Cozzens is the author of It's Not Your Mother's Bridge Club.

You beat me to it. I never thought anyone would ever talk about Burbank, or Ford City or Peacock Alley, or Bird's Paradise, or Our neighborhood, and I promise I'll be the second one to do so, but I saw your book last night, and I love it!!!!!I love my neighborhood, even though you are 10 years older than me, I know everything you talk about, I live here still.John, thanks for bringing the true South Side out: the one no one ever talks about.Jim,Burbank, IL

THE BOOK OF RALPH is a remarkable book. One of a kind. It is a true novita (stories assembled to work in concert as a novel, but each story may still be appraised and enjoyed on its own) that is technically sophisticated and still wickedly funny. The author's mastery of the craft of fiction-writing is apparent in every sentence -- from the dialogue to the placement and execution of narration to every well-observed and rendered detail -- and he uses it all to make us see, hear, feel. And laugh. This is a rare combination. Someone else here compares him to Richard Yates under the influence of the Simpsons; I'd also point to Yates as an influential figure, but rather then using his talents to make us cry over life's disasters and disappointments, McNally makes us laugh. He belongs in the same company as Mark Twain and Stuart Dybek, Andre Dubus and Richard Russo. TROUBLEMAKERS showed that John McNally was a writer to watch; THE BOOK OF RALPH is proof that he is a writer not to miss. Cancel your evening plans. Get the book and dig Ralph.

'The Book of Ralph' fulfills a major fiction goal for me ? taking me to a place I haven't been. That place is the southwest side of Chicago in the late 70s. John McNally renders Chicago in full details and his narrator, Hank, is a great guide. McNally also paces the book in a wonderful way by inserting smaller sections that take me by surprise.McNally's writing is wonderful. He is succinct without falling into the minimalism trap, and he avoids unnecessary detail. The story, place and characters drive this book. The author stays out of the way even though I laughed out loud several times (a tough trick to do without resorting to one-liners). When Hank becomes obsessed with a CB radio, McNally left me hurting from laughing so much.Hank gives us the story without wiping Vaseline on the lens of memory. This is not a sentimental story about the nostalgia of the late 70s. And McNally finishes the book with a wonderful closer of where Ralph and Hank are today. He finishes the story without being too tidy.This is a fine book. I highly recommend his collection, 'Troublemakers,' as well.