Falling Man

DeLillo, Don. Falling Man: a Novel. New York: Scribner, 2007.

This novel looks at life after 9/11 from the point of view of a survivor, his wife, and son. It begins as the towers are collapsing and ends a number of years later--the characters still in various states of recovery and collapse. Falling Man is a performance artist who appears unannounced over the streets of New York City wearing a business suit, suspended by a harness with one leg bent reenacting the photograph also known as Falling Man. Another thread of the story begins before 9/11 and follows the recruiting and training of one of the hijackers. Not overtly sentimental or melodramatic, DeLillo keeps the reader at some distance from his characters, allowing insight without voyeurism.

On order for Burling Library