Russell Banks' first novel, Family Life converts the drama of a family depicted as a royal family in a present-day kingdom that could be easily turned into a script for a play. The story is about the Queen Naomi Ruth, (the unfaithful wife), the King Egress (the Hearty, sometimes the Bluff), three princes: the oldest son called Orgone, who is known for his skills as a wrestler and in copulation, Dread who drove sports cars and was a big game hunter, and Egress the wild), who was a bad drunk, melancholy and a favorite of those who had fallen from grace of any kind. Also there is the mysterious youth in the slick green suit known by only aliases, who has a thing for princes and the loon who was called Loon, sometimes Lone, Lon, Lonnie, l'Ange, Lawn or Lune.

Banks explores sexual relationships among different class and of same sex within his novel. Each of the characters exhibits weaknesses that lead to their downfall. Family life is a story with in a story that is shocking, yet entreats you to read on. The underlying themes of debauchery, assassination, disorder, travel, rebellion, hilarity, adoration and defeat is captivating and plays on the feelings of the reader. Banks has a gift that allows us to witness a situation through the eyes of the contrasting characters, as they express their feelings with proficiency and understanding.

Family Life is a short novel that can be read in a couple of hours, and it is comprised of easy flowing language that is definitely a 'page turner'. Banks unique style of writing is appealing because it as all the components for an exciting read.

"Well worth investigating," says the Washington Post Book World.

"He writes a fine, clear prose -- some of the best, in fact, now being written by anyone," says the New York Times Book Review.

Some of his newest novels include Rule of the Bone, was published in May 1995, The Sweet Hereafter and Affliction. Banks has won numerous awards and prizes for his work, such as the Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowships, Ingram Merrill Award, the St. Lawrence Award for Short Fiction, O. Henry and Best American Short Story Award, the John Dos Passos Award, and the Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Continental Drift was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 and Affliction was short-listed for both the PEN/Faulkner Fiction Prize and the Irish International Prize.

Banks has lived in a variety of places, from New England to Jamaica, which have contributed to the richness of his writing. However, his time is currently divided between teaching creative writing at Princeton University and living in Ausable Chasm, upstate New York.

Email me at: editor@apnmag.com