Don DeLillo

What is left behind for those who survive a horrific disaster? Already they are victims of a terrible tragedy, irrespective of whether they were inside or outside the tower. Can they return to normalcy? Or will they have to resign themselves to the empty world that is left in the aftermath of the Falling Man?

I made it through this book but barely. The story set on September 11, the day of WTC attacks, and the days and years after, outlines the effects that the single day had on the lives of people who live with the burden of having survived that day.

A very promising premise but the story falls through like a dead weight. The characters are flat, the storyline fractured; in a span of two pages the author skips from one scene to another and then yet another one. At times I had to struggle to understand which characters the pronouns were referring to.

Keith is the survivor that day, having walked through the rubble and emerging from smoke and ash with a briefcase in his hand. Then follows a short fling with the woman to whom the briefcase belonged. Then there is Lianne, Keith's wife, who struggles to come to terms with the feelings that the day has instilled in her heart. Finally there is Justin, the couple's son, who scans the skies for more planes that may be coming in.

But none of these characters have any traits worth remembering. Their stories are disjointed. Perhaps that was the intention of the author; to convey chaos, confusion, dejection and despair, but such narrative never finds much favor with me and I couldn't wait to put down this book so that I could read something else, anything else.

I have read White Noise by Don DeLillo before, and I remember enjoying the post-modern take on things. But this book was a disappointment. A major disappointment.

Would I recommend it to anyone? No. There are definitely other books vying for your attention. Choose one of them instead.… (more)

"The Itch" by Don DeLillo. Short story in The New Yorker, Aug. 7 & 14, 2017
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Two things kept my interest: 1. How will he end this story, the ramblings of a man who suffers constant itching over his body? 2. The writing format used to unfold the story. He used short graphs that jump from one scene to another including several doctor visits, a sort-of love life, and a friend who has his own obsession (the sound of his peeing into a toilet bowl forms words.). This all blends together in a final graph, which brought an "oh" more than a "wow" from me. Still ... it's the kind of story that lingers after you've read it. It would spoil the intent if I said more. Possible moral: If you have an itching problem, it becomes the center of your universe. (5-9-2024)… (more)