Foregone by Russell Banks

Leo Fife is a documentary filmmaker with a celebrated history and a host of accolades. Now, as he is in the final stages of cancer, he grants one last filmed interview. Surrounded by his protege and his crew who idolize him, the story that Leo shares are very different from what they expected. It is especially difficult for his long time wife to hear. What emerges is not the past of their idol's artistic journey but that of a troubled young man who used people and abandoned two families before fleeing to Canada along with all the draft dodgers of the Vietnam era. Leonard Fife might be someone who is brilliant at his craft but he isn't necessarily a nice person. I would characterize him as "a runner". The prose flows freely and Banks does an excellent job of setting the stage and playing with the sense of light and darkness both in the room and Fife's life story. This deathbed confession is not easy to listen to and we tend to think of him as a tyrant at the end but it does ring true. This is a perfect choice for readers who want strong characters instead of an action-packed plot such as those found in books by Elizabeth Stroud, Willy Vlautin, and Pat Conroy.  4 stars