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amysheppardscott's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kevin_shepherd's review against another edition
3.0
Aftermath. DeLillo's Falling Man isn't about 9/11, it's about the aftermath. It's not about initial trauma, but rather the subsequent unsettlement, an accounting of disheveled people living disheveled lives.
I'm unsure how to rate this book. On one hand, the author authentically conveys the shock and psychological disassociation that accompanies catastrophe. But on the other hand, it sometimes feels contrived, something that borders on exploitation. Is DeLillo opportunistic? I don't think so, at least not intentionally, but the prospect left me feeling a little uneasy and disconcerted.
I'm unsure how to rate this book. On one hand, the author authentically conveys the shock and psychological disassociation that accompanies catastrophe. But on the other hand, it sometimes feels contrived, something that borders on exploitation. Is DeLillo opportunistic? I don't think so, at least not intentionally, but the prospect left me feeling a little uneasy and disconcerted.
maurice6300's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
pharmadelica's review against another edition
2.0
Alienated guy survives 9/11 and becomes alienated in a different, cooler way.
Mohamed Atta gets pussy.
Mohamed Atta gets pussy.
paulsnelling's review against another edition
3.0
Love a book like this, the reviews a slightly skewed normal distribution curve, so I feel a bit ‘average’ with three stars. The highly stylised prose takes a little getting used to in this story of a survivor of the twin towers attack on what will always be known as 9/11. Keith Neudecker, a lawyer was in the building as the first plane hit, but escaped with a minor injury and someone else’s briefcase. The narrative follows his recovery back to an altered life, reconciled with his estranged wife, and recovering from the loss of his friends and seeking temporary solace with the briefcase-owner who shared the experience.
It’s a very thought-provoking book as you’d expect, and the further away from the horrors, the more it can be read as recovery from any trauma. Life remodelled and repurposed. There’s an interesting account of writing groups of people diagnosed with dementia facilitated by Lianne, Keith’s wife whose father wrestled control of his failing faculties with a single shot, and whose own relief at a normal scan at the end of the book only partially allays her concerns. At the end, the trauma has resolved largely but legacies remain; avoiding the underground, the performance of no longer needed physiotherapy exercises. In their place standard concerns remain, the maintenance of purpose and the fear of losing it. Lots more, and writing this paragraph has reminded me of the nuances so that I’m minded to go to a four. I’ll settle on three and half as it didn’t hit the spot every time.
It’s a very thought-provoking book as you’d expect, and the further away from the horrors, the more it can be read as recovery from any trauma. Life remodelled and repurposed. There’s an interesting account of writing groups of people diagnosed with dementia facilitated by Lianne, Keith’s wife whose father wrestled control of his failing faculties with a single shot, and whose own relief at a normal scan at the end of the book only partially allays her concerns. At the end, the trauma has resolved largely but legacies remain; avoiding the underground, the performance of no longer needed physiotherapy exercises. In their place standard concerns remain, the maintenance of purpose and the fear of losing it. Lots more, and writing this paragraph has reminded me of the nuances so that I’m minded to go to a four. I’ll settle on three and half as it didn’t hit the spot every time.
caleb_tankersley's review against another edition
4.0
This is the best of the 9/11 novels I've read so far. It deals more directly with the actual event and strikes a nice balance between the personal turmoil of the main character and the wider, cultural turmoil of the city and country. The prose is wonderful and quick. Gorgeous on every level.
nattynatchan's review against another edition
3.0
this book is the perfect definition of marmite; getting lost in the thick haze of its dangling plots, indeterminate pronouns and hazily-sketched characters can either be a painfully excruciating read, or an authentic picture of the disorientation many survivors of 9/11 have endured. i was def struggling to get through this book in an invested way, so probably not the best intro to DeLillo i could have chosen. still, i love the language and i think this quote sums everything up nicely:
"It was something that belonged to another landscape, something inserted, a conjuring that resembled for the briefest second some half-seen image only half-believed in the seeing, when the witness wonders what has happened to the meaning of things, to tree, street, stone, wind, simple words lost in the falling ash."
"It was something that belonged to another landscape, something inserted, a conjuring that resembled for the briefest second some half-seen image only half-believed in the seeing, when the witness wonders what has happened to the meaning of things, to tree, street, stone, wind, simple words lost in the falling ash."
pierceinverarity's review against another edition
4.0
After the recent deviations, The Body Artist (so-so) and Cosmopolis (dud), this is a pleasant return to vintage DeLillo form. His treatment of 911 is compelling without being over-portentous.
cynthiatainsh's review against another edition
2.0
I am sure that the writing is very good, but I just could not get drawn into this book and I did not finish it.