This one never quite got off the page for me. Couple of reasons why: 1) The structure of the book--loosely connected novellas and stories--keeps the reader from getting to know any of the characters, constantly introducing new ones just when you get interested in the last, and totally abandoning a few who clearly have a lot more to say. 2) The component parts of the whole felt workshoppy--craft-wise, they're all a little too on the noise, and rarely did McCann offer any surprises to ameliorate how predictable all of it felt. 3) Many of the characters’ connections came off as forced vehicles to further the novel’s theme of inter-connectedness rather than as naturalistic development of plot or personality. 4) Not enough diversity of language to accommodate the diversity of the characters; at times, they all sounded alike and I would forget whose story I was reading.