Richard Russo and Jenny Boylan on plot twists in books — and life

Richard Russo and Jenny Boylan (Elena Seibert/© 2012 Jennifer Finney Boylan )

Richard Russo was in his early 40s when he published "Nobody's Fool" in 1993. The novel focused on the residents of a fictional mill town in upstate New York called Bath, including Sully, who Paul Newman played in the movie version of the book, and his slow-on-the-uptake friend, Rub.

Today, Russo is in his mid-60s, and after all these years he’s brought Sully and Rub back to life in a sequel to "Nobody's Fool" called "Everybody's Fool."

Russo’s been friends with writer and novelist Jenny Boylan since they shared an office as professors in the early 1990s. But at the time, Jenny Boylan was Jim Boylan. She made the transition to Jenny about 15 years ago, and she wrote about it in her acclaimed memoir, "She's Not There." We asked Boylan to come in to interview Russo about his new novel and to talk with him about big plot twists — in their books, and in their friendship.

(Originally aired May 19, 2016)

Tell us about your experience accessing The World

We want to hear your feedback so we can keep improving our website, theworld.org. Please fill out this quick survey and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous). Thanks for your time!