Russell Banks

Russell Banks (1940–2023) was an American novelist and short‑story writer known for exploring working‑class life, social issues and moral crises in contemporary America.

Several of Banks' novels have been adapted for film (notably The Sweet Hereafter and Affliction). He is widely recognized for his realist portraits of American life and social marginality.

The review praises Russell Banks' Continental Drift as a powerful, realist novel that traces the breaking points in two very different lives: Bob Dubois, facing a midlife crisis, and Vanise Dorsinville, a Haitian immigrant. The prose is described as fluid and capable of exposing contemporary harshness and pervasive pessimism. Overall the reviewer recommends the book for its gritty social insight.

For:Readers of literary fiction, students of contemporary American literature, and those interested in social realism and migration narratives.