After finishing THE LEFT AND THE LUCKY, my thoughts turned to the opening sentence of this review and my description of the novel. Willy Vlautin does not write uplifting, optimistic stories. He recently acknowledged in an interview with Oregon ArtsWatch, “That’s always been kind of a weakness of mine, making stuff too bleak.” His new book --- which is set in Portland, Oregon, and is an expansion of his 2021 short story, “The Kill Switch” --- focuses on two families whose quality of life is rightly defined as struggling.

Eddie Wilkens, who is in his early 40s, is a self-employed, workaholic house painter. His work is a constant struggle to maintain steady employment, which includes keeping his main employee, Houston, on the job and away from drinking. Eddie is a kind and thoughtful man who exhibits little anger, although it would be completely understandable if he blew his top every once in a while. He also carries baggage from an earlier unfortunate event in his life, and Vlautin develops that story by making small references to it throughout the book.

"Willy Vlautin has a way of writing about the simplest elements of living and making them emotional and heartfelt. You care about the characters and what happens to them."

Eddie’s neighborhood is populated by families who are only a misfortune or two away from financial ruin. Next door, an aging woman allows her daughter and grandchildren to move into her house to share rent. She is recently widowed and in failing health. Her daughter, Connie, works multiple shifts in a strip bar, and her teenage grandsons, Curtis and Russell, are already beyond her control. Through a series of random meetings, Russell becomes part of Eddie’s life.

As the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Eddie and Russell offer each other kindness and a world of hope and comfort. Despite beginning the story as strangers, they move towards a father-son relationship that had been absent from both of their lives. Eddie’s painting jobs present Russell with many opportunities to help out and expose him to Eddie’s quirky crew of painting assistants.

We become acquainted with Cordarrel, who often assists Eddie when Houston is on a bender. Cordarrel is an interesting character, who Vlautin describes through philosophical observations and breakfast adventures that you might enjoy. Every event in these pages is not a cathartic occurrence. Reading it is a reminder of how the small joys of life can be quite important because they are often closely related to sadness.

Along with being a highly acclaimed author, Vlautin is an accomplished musician and the founding member of the bands Richmond Fontaine and The Delines. So it should come as no surprise that THE LEFT AND THE LUCKY has its own soundtrack, which greatly enhances the reading experience.

Willy Vlautin has a way of writing about the simplest elements of living and making them emotional and heartfelt. You care about the characters and what happens to them. You almost wish you could revisit Russell and Eddie in a few years to see how they are doing. I would be the first in line to read that book.