Let the Great World Spin

I wish I felt more emotional investment with the characters in this book. Most of them drift through their lives and end up in New York. This is the story of the random, tenuous (and unlikely) connections between them.

Claire and Solomon Soderberg live a shallow life beneath the veneer of Park Avenue. Claire attempts to fill the void that is her life with a group of women who come for brunch; she is looking to them to validate her grief and her existence. Claire’s story sets up the most satisfactory device of this book: we read about the events from Claire’s point of view, and then (after we think we know what happens next) we hear the continuation of the story from Gloria, one of the guests.

McCann tries the technique again with Tillie’s story, but the effect is nowhere near as convincing. First we hear her words, and feel some sympathy for her hard life of drugs and prostitution. Then we see her from Judge Soderberg’s perspective and—she’s nothing but a smart-mouthed hooker.

We get much, much backstory about the Corrigan brothers. I was starting to wonder when they were going to get to New York.

The book ends years later, with a ridiculously improbable happy ending for Jaslyn (one of Tillie’s granddaughters).

Spoiler follows…
If you want a scorecard, here is the primary circle of characters and events: Tillie and Jazzlyn were arrested for prostitution. Judge Soderberg sentenced Tillie to prison and let Jazzlyn go. As Corrigan and Jazzlyn are driving back home from the courthouse, they are killed in an auto accident. Jazzlyn’s daughters are adopted by Gloria, a friend of Judge Soderberg’s wife, Claire. Ciaran, Corrigan’s brother, ends up with Lara, who was driving the car that killed Corrigan and Jazzlyn.

I wish I felt more emotional investment with the characters in this book. Most of them drift through their lives and end up in New York. This is the story of the random, tenuous (and unlikely) connections between them.

Claire and Solomon Soderberg live a shallow life beneath the veneer of Park Avenue. Claire attempts to fill the void that is her life with a group of women who come for brunch; she is looking to them to validate her grief and her existence. Claire’s story sets up the most satisfactory device of this book: we read about the events from Claire’s point of view, and then (after we think we know what happens next) we hear the continuation of the story from Gloria, one of the guests.

McCann tries the technique again with Tillie’s story, but the effect is nowhere near as convincing. First we hear her words, and feel some sympathy for her hard life of drugs and prostitution. Then we see her from Judge Soderberg’s perspective and—she’s nothing but a smart-mouthed hooker.

We get much, much backstory about the Corrigan brothers. I was starting to wonder when they were going to get to New York.

The book ends years later, with a ridiculously improbable happy ending for Jaslyn (one of Tillie’s granddaughters).

Spoiler follows…
If you want a scorecard, here is the primary circle of characters and events: Tillie and Jazzlyn were arrested for prostitution. Judge Soderberg sentenced Tillie to prison and let Jazzlyn go. As Corrigan and Jazzlyn are driving back home from the courthouse, they are killed in an auto accident. Jazzlyn’s daughters are adopted by Gloria, a friend of Judge Soderberg’s wife, Claire. Ciaran, Corrigan’s brother, ends up with Lara, who was driving the car that killed Corrigan and Jazzlyn.