Falling Man

I couldn't pick this up when it first came out. I listened to it recently on CD during a long drive and with each mile, I felt the growing weight and gravity, lived with the men and women grappling with the aftermath, after the planes. There is a phrase in "Falling Man" that covers lots of ground about what this book is about: "beyond the limits of safe understanding." I think that's what DeLillo challenged himself to do,... Read Full Review

I agree with other reviewers that this book is not linear, not meant to offer a compelling plot. It is one artist's expression (and DeLillo, by the way, is an artist; if you doubt it, read White Noise), in prose, of the aftermath of 9-11. As such, DeLillo does not try to make sense of the event itself--how can we, when it was senseless? He simply does what all artists do: He observes, then records, from his own perspective,... Read Full Review

There exists an event in each of our pasts that haunts all of our potential futures. "Falling Man" explores one such event that we are all connected to, some directly (like those in the Towers or in NYC or DC or in an airport, etc.) and others who experienced it on television, in the papers, on the radio. We all have individual memories of what happened, where we were, how it affected us. Yet we continually share the experience... Read Full Review

I enjoyed this book very much, having enjoyed some of Don DeLillo's other novels. A couple things to know about this book: 1. This is not mainstream fiction. DeLillo uses his own conventions and the conventions of postmodern fiction to great extent. 2. This novel is not primarily a retelling of the events of 9/11. Rather, it is an exploration of the mindset of New Yorkers (and one European) after 9/11, how this particular... Read Full Review

Through the twisted wreckage of buildings, politics and lives, Don DeLillo architects a grand design on most hallowed ground. The "Falling Man" is DeLillo's vivid personalization of the horrific events of 9/11 and its aftermath. The book reveals the human dramas of that great tragedy through juxtaposing emotions: the fear and the courage, the broken and the healed, and the urgent and the steadfast. DeLillo lifts the story... Read Full Review