Synopses & Reviews
The setting is Milwaukee, Wisconsin if not America's heart, then at least its liver home to an array of breweries and abandoned factories and down-on-their-luck Eastern European immigrants. The year is 1989.
Revolutions are sweeping through the nations of the Eastern Bloc. Communism is unraveling. And nobody feels this unraveling more piquantly than Yuri Balodis a fifteen-year-old first-generation American living with his Latvian-immigrant parents in Milwaukee's Third Ward.
It's a turbulent time. And when Yuri falls in love with Hannah Graham the daring daughter of a prominent local socialist chaos ensues. Within weeks, Yuri is ensnared by both Hannah and socialism. He joins the staff of the Socialist Worker. He starts quoting Lenin and Marx indiscriminately.
His parents, of course, are horrified and deeply saddened. They try to educate him, to show him why, in their opinion, communism has ruined so many lives. But Yuri is stubborn. And his ideological betrayal will have more serious consequences than breaking his parents' hearts.
Red Weather is by turns funny and bittersweet, tinged with a rueful comic sense that will instantly remind you of the absurd complications of love. Pauls Toutonghi's stunning debut novel is at once reminiscent of Michael Chabon's The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner.
Review
"Toutonghi...writes with an assured hand and a quirky, wry sense of humor. Yuri and his small family...are memorable and lovingly drawn....[A] first novel of uncommon poise and power." Booklist
Review
"There's a fine novella somewhere inside Toutonghi's debut....Toutonghi is an observant writer, but he stalks a demure middle ground, never offering outright humor or drama." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The stunningly quiet ending reverberates back through the whole book....It's a touching act of homage from a novelist who is foolish and brave enough to sacrifice his own prospects of writing an original novel for the greater good of a love letter to his father." Daniel Swift, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Quite a lovely technical feat for a first-time novelist and Rudolfi is quite a memorable character....The plot seems necessary rather than contrived, and though it is slow to unfold, the book never tries the reader's patience." Chicago Tribune
Review
"Red Weather is a lightning rod of captivating humor, colorful characters and well-crafted prose. Make this your rainy-day book." Seattle Times
Review
"Toutonghi's debut would make a good book club selection and may appeal to readers who enjoy Gary Shteyngart's novels." Library Journal
Review
"If this tale of befuddled ethnicity sounds as if it could veer dangerously toward sitcom-style wackiness, fear not. Toutonghi excels at a dry, sly wit that packs a soft, droll punch....[I]f you can overlook a plot that is too often a creaky vehicle, Red Weather is a sweet and entertaining read." Marjorie Kehe, The Christian Science Monitor (read the entire CSM review)
About the Author
Pauls Toutonghi is a first-generation American. He has been awarded a Pushcart Prize, and his writing has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Zoetrope, One Story, and the Boston Review. He lives in Brooklyn.
Reading Group Guide
The setting is Milwaukee, Wisconsin—if not America’s heart, then at least its liver—home to an array of breweries and abandoned factories and down-on-their-luck Eastern European immigrants. The year is 1989.
Revolutions are sweeping through the nations of the Eastern Bloc. Communism is unraveling. And nobody feels this unraveling more piquantly than Yuri Balodis—a fifteen-year-old first-generation American living with his Latvian-immigrant parents in Milwaukee’s Third Ward.
It’s a turbulent time. And when Yuri falls in love with Hannah Graham—the daring daughter of a prominent local socialist—chaos ensues. Within weeks, Yuri is ensnared by both Hannah and socialism. He joins the staff of the Socialist Worker. He starts quoting Lenin and Marx indiscriminately.
His parents, of course, are horrified and deeply saddened. They try to educate him, to show him why, in their opinion, communism has ruined so many lives. But Yuri is stubborn. And his ideological betrayal will have more serious consequences than breaking his parents’ hearts.
Red Weather is by turns funny and bittersweet, tinged with a rueful comic sense that will instantly remind you of the absurd complications of love. Pauls Toutonghi’s stunning debut novel is at once reminiscent of Michael Chabon’s The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner.
1. What was your opinion of Yuri’s father, Rudolfi? Did your feelings about him change as you read the book?
2. Why do you think Yuri started selling the Socialist Worker?
3. “I slipped in and out of a dream in which Hannah and I were at a picnic, drinking wine and eating sandwiches on delicious French bread. The bread was unbelievably fresh and the sandwiches were made from the finest-quality meats and cheeses. But the more we ate, the larger the sandwiches became. I couldn’t stop eating, I knew, because then I’d lose Hannah. So I ate and sweated and ate and sweated and ate” (page 178). What does Yuri’s dream reveal about his feelings for Hannah?
4. Of the many colorful characters in the book, which one or ones stood out for you? Why?
5. Discuss the relationship between Yuri and his father. Would you describe it as typical? If so, in what respects? If not, why?
6. The city of Milwaukee holds a special place in Rudolfi’s heart: “He loved Milwaukee. It was his city, his adopted city, and the center of his life in his adopted country” (page 26). But in 1989, Milwaukee was in a depressed economic and social state. What are some parallels between the city and Rudolfi’s state of mind?
7. “I was drawn to him, inexplicably drawn” (page 128). What do you think is behind Yuri’s attraction to Eriks?
8. Part 2 of the novel begins with an excerpt of a poem by Wallace Stevens, “Disillusionment of Ten O’Clock” (page 105). What does this poem mean in terms of the events of Red Weather?
9. How are Eriks’s and Yuri’s fathers alike and different? How might these similarities and disparities explain why Yuri is fascinated by Eriks but rejects his own father?
10. The fall of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989 is one of the story’s central backdrops. How does the author use this event metaphorically?
11. What role does alcohol–and its abuses–play in the story?
12. At several points in the novel, Yuri goes along as another person engages in reckless behavior, against his own better judgment and to disastrous results. Why is Yuri so willing to do dangerous things?
13. The balcony in the Balodis’s apartment figures prominently in the story. What does the balcony best symbolize: a precipice, a gateway, a refuge, or something else?
14. What did you think when Rudolfi’s true identity is revealed in the epilogue? Did it come as a surprise? If so, why? If not, at what other points in the novel did you find hints about Rudolfi’s former life?
15. What does the book’s title mean?