A September 11th novel. Moves from victims to perpetrators, but focuses mainly on Keith, a survivor, and the psychic toll the event has taken on him. It returns him to his estranged wife, but the marriage is not happy, their child is angst-ridden, and Keith--even as he resumes his marriage--has an affair with another survivor whose briefcase he has "rescued" from the collapse of the towers. Keith ends up a poker player, flying to and from his family. Poker games are described as being "like a seance in hell."
DeLillo is amazingly talented. The writing at times is breathtaking. However, he is also amazingly frustrating. He seems to be in love with pronouns. Sections begin with "He did this or that . . ." and then the reader is required to figure out who "he" is through context. Annoying and self-conscious. Same thing with the central metaphor. Failling Man is a performance artist who keeps 9/11 on the minds of New Yorkers by "falling" out of buildings. He's harnessed, but the falls are not bungee jumps. They cause real pain to Falling Man and real pain to those who see him fall. Just a bit too tricky. ( )

AN UNMEMORABLE BOOKS FOR ME.. MAYBE THE NARRATOR? ALL IN ALL THIS BOOK WAS NOT AN ENGAGING BOOK FOR ME ( )

A powerful, personal response to the 9/11 attacks by a master of his craft. I love DeLillo's writing and this is a master class of control in what is a dangerously risky project. Survivor Keith Neudeckor finds himself at his estranged wife's apartment picking out shards of glass from his skin. DeLillo writes about the effects of the attacks on him and the people around him, including a street performer, the Falling Man. Tender and tough. ( )

http://www.bookpage.com/0706bp/fictio... ( )

This book was very depressing, but I stuck with it to the end, hoping for more. Very little interaction between the characters, who couldn't seem to make me care about them. ( )