"Let the Great World Spin" by Collum McCann

Let the Great World Spin takes place in New York City during a couple days during 1974, and it consists of several short stories told through the eyes of several interweaving characters. The writing was enchanting, and McCann’s words embodied everyone from a tightrope walker (modeled after Philippe Petit who walked across the Twin Towers) to a young Irish monk to a prostitute to a grieving mother. Part of the fun of reading this book is figuring out how every story and all of the characters are ultimately connected. McCann ultimately pulls together all of the stories and lives in a cohesive, understandable fashion to reveal a colorful tapestry of pain, promise, and hope that was New York City in 1974. Let the Great World Spin truly feels like New York City, and it draws the reader in like a large, cacophonous city does – through mystery, disparity, discovery, and human connection.

Let the Great World Spin won the 2009 National Book Award for Fiction.