Eddie Joyce

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from Viking Books. This is the author's first novel, and it was a compelling read for me. Although, like most novels, it has its flaws, I never considered putting it down or not finishing it. The book is a character-driven look into the life of an Italian-American Staten Island family, ten years after the 9/11/2001 loss of their firefighter relative ("Bobby") at the World Trade Center. As you would expect, it is a very moving story, and is told by characters who each react in their individual ways to a life that is missing a family member, and their having to share their grief with the rest of the world.

The plot develops over the course of one week, and is told by multiple points of view - mother, father, wife, and two brothers. Each point of view is developed in a separate section of the book, so there are no abrupt shifts into the mind of another character, and it is always clear whose eyes we are seeing out of. In this sense, the writing is very clear, and does not suffer from the confusion that can result in a narrative told from multiple points of view.

In addition, there are some memorable turns of phrase, such as the "Yo, fat man fucked you up" that has now been entered in my book journal as a favorite quote, and made me laugh abruptly and, yes, out loud. For me, there was too much lawyering, and too much detail regarding basketball pool betting strategies and the playing of basketball. These details, obviously, did not ruin the book for me. I just would have a liked a bit less of them. Overall, I very much enjoyed the writing style of the narrative.

The only portions of the book that did not feel as authentic, to me, were a few of the instances wherein a female character is expressing her sexuality. This was not due to any perceived vulgarity on my part, I am a fan of vulgar language. And it was not their desires that were off-putting, but rather that they sounded inconsistent with the character's prior language and thought processes.

I also would have welcomed more descriptions of the grief process of Gail, the mother of Bobby. Even though the author gives us more of Gail than some of the other characters (particularly the brother Franky), I would have appreciated more description of Gail's reaction between the day or two of hearing about Bobby's death, and the jump to ten years later.

Lastly and importantly, there should be a warning that the racism expressed is quite unnerving, as it is written. The racism of the characters is directed toward many peoples and nationalities, thus offending a great portion of the human population. However, it seems clear that the author is attempting to make a statement about the characters in this time and this place, and their reactions to the changing of "their" world. But it feels that we are not given enough to establish the author's disapproval of such behavior, and such language, or that perhaps not all long-term residents of Staten Island share these same beliefs. In other words, there is a danger of such offensive language eclipsing what the author was trying to achieve.

That being said, this story of a family's change and, in some instances, failure to adapt to loss, feels intimate, personal, and touching. The descriptions of both moving on, and failing to move on, with their lives is well-done and enjoyable. It deserves a re-read.

… (mais)

The overall arc is about a family dealing with the death of a son (brother, and husband) in the World Trade Center bombings. It only covers one week ten years later, but with many, many flashbacks. I came to care about the characters, even though they are all too human. I was angrier with some than others about their choices and screw-ups, but isn't that what makes them human? The final chapter "Epilogue" was a bit odd. I thought perhaps he didn't know how to end the book--but I think it could have ended better by just leaving that epilogue out. I do recommend the book.… (mais)