Waterloo by Karen Olsson
Originally published in Time Out New York, October 13, 2005
Driven more by introspection than action, Karen Olsson’s debut novel, Waterloo, pleasantly ambles along like a Patsy Cline ballad. A handful of well-intentioned but flawed characters cross paths politically and personally, and though most are disillusioned and nostalgic, they all possess a common urge to make a lasting impression—if not on the world, then at least on the fictional capital city of Waterloo, Texas.
The central figure, Nick Lasseter, is a reporter for the Waterloo Weekly who hasn’t had a decent story in months, and who spends too much time at a dive bar with his aging college buddies, pining for his ex-girlfriend. When his most recent interview subject, a rambunctious congressman named Will Sabert, dies, Nick trudges through his article-turned-obituary while halfheartedly hoping not to get fired. Nick’s best shot at romantic redemption is fellow journalist Andrea, whom he meets at Sabert’s funeral. As their sweet, bumbling courtship unfolds, a juicy tip from Nick’s lobbyist uncle develops into a legitimately newsworthy story involving a corrupt housing bill and an adulterous affair between two state representatives.
All of these events, entertaining in and of themselves, play second fiddle to the theme of transience, which Olsson masterfully incorporates into each story line. Nothing is permanent in the Austin-like Waterloo, where historic buildings are torn down to make way for new development. History is misremembered and sometimes even rewritten by politicians, who intone hollow slogans about building stronger families and a better tomorrow (as Nick’s uncle lamentfully quips, “There aren’t enough drunks left in politics”). But there is a bittersweet comfort in Olsson’s message—in a world full of change, it’s possible to restart your career and love life in one fell swoop. Waterloo‘s final scene suggests that there is an alternative to slacker cynicism after all: When the rock club you’ve been fighting to protect gets demolished before you can throw the fund-raising party to save it, the best response is to throw the party anyway.