compelling and disturbing

This is a great book. Its basically less about 9/11 itself than it is about how an event like this affects (and doesn't affect) the people afterwords. Far from your typical "I was there" fictionalized account of being there. Very well narrated.

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Since the planes...

"Since the planes" is the euphemism the main characters of this novel use to refer to the tragedy of 9/11. A fictional account of a survivor, his family, and their experiences following the devastation of the World Trade Center, this book is a clear-eyed look at the forces that led to the event, and at those that have shaped our collective consciousness since the tragedy. DeLillo makes no political points, and has no axes to grind. This story, like history itself, is ultimately a story of individual human beings, their choices, and the consequences that follow from those choices. An absorbing and chilling listen.

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A Reflection on Humanity

After reading a magazine review of this book, I was happy to find it already available on Audible. I listened to it over the course of 2 days and immediately listened to it again. There are many layers to this book, only the most obvious being the first-hand experience of the September 11 hijackings. The horror of those events is protrayed in the awestruck and stunned manner of those who were in New York on that day, but the underlying feelings are much more widespread and relect all our humanity. I experienced that day from thousands of miles and 4 time zones away, in my home in Alaska, but felt many of the same feelings that I found in this book. The simple act of looking at oneself in a mirror and comparing this view to that held by others who see us, the innocent simplicity of children's misunderstanding of the name of a terrorist and their fear of returning planes, and of course the inability to undo what happened, to have to remember it and view it repeatedly in the media are just some of the subjects covered simply but so well in this book. We have heard and read often that 9/11 was a day that changed all Americans: I think this simple yet complex and deep book captures many of the deep and human ways it changed us. I highly recommend this book as a reminder of our common feelings, whether we were on the streets of Lower Manhattan, the Interior of Alaska, or the many thousands of other places where Americans felt, and feel, the impact of that day.

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Gorgeous Writing

I literally had to press 'stop' on my ipod on several occasions just to think about what I just heard because of the beautiful language and construction. Listen to this for the writing alone.

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bad narration

It's rather difficult following the dialog, since the narrator doesn't try to distinguish between voices. The narrator is also very flat, indifferen and numb-- I recommend actually reading the hard copy on this one, since the audio version doesn't seem to do it justice.

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Storytelling? Not!

I have no idea if the book is good or not - it was the worst narration to which I have listened. There was no storytelling skill by the narrator. I expect different voices or inflections of voice or some way to discern the differences among the characters' speech, but there was none. Thus, I had trouble keeping track of who was saying what - the first time in countless audiobooks I have experienced. I would not recommend this audiobook.

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Confusing

The book was hard to follow as to the characters. The last chapter was less confusing.

solid novel by great American novelist

delillo's solid attempt to capture what many novelists have attempted to captures, and what is probably in the end unable to be captured: the change, trauma, and impact of 9/11 on the American psyche. delillo sets his goals even higher by attempting to flesh out. philosophically, how a subjectivity of individualism and autonomy was crushed by a painful entrance into the larger world through violence. delillo's effort is unfulfilled, but if delillo can't do it no one can. overall, nice work By a great writer.

Mixed feelings

As my professor who taught this book told our class, "This may not be the book about 9/11 you want, but it is the book you need". DeLillo is definitely an interesting writer and I have to say, after reading several of his books, I'm not really the biggest fan of his style. That being said, this is a very "real" book. It may be fictionalization, but it's certainly not a fairy tale, which is something people "need" in a book about 9/11. In terms of the audiobook, I thought the narrator did a pretty good job considering how hard DeLillo's dialogue can be to follow (and he was MUCH better than the narrator for "Libra").

Incredible writing

I read a lot of criticism about the narrator but I think he uses a style appropriate to the text. Don DeLillo is one of the finest American writers and this is a short, deeply engaging, thoughtful book. If you want something that makes you think, where each sentence is a marvel, and if you can get used to his use of the word "this" when you were expecting "that", this is for you.

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