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Kallie
I am 2/3 of the way through Falling Man and plan to re-read it. De Lillo as always writes a novel in poetic language, and looks beyond reassuring cliches about personal connection, into the voids we prefer not to see and the physical presence we prefer to avoid because being in that reminds us: this is finite and we don't know what comes after. His writing, as always if I engage with it, alters my state of awareness and perception of what I take for granted. But the process of connecting with his work can take some time and surrender. Every word matters. If the reader refuses to enter the story on De Lillo's uncompromising terms, they will miss the experience of this novel -- and it's not just about a story, but the experience of being in these characters' minds. It's sort of a paradox, in that he shows the unbridgeable space between people, yet takes us more intimately into people's uncensored thoughts and perceptions. But we have to want to go there and not everyone does; most (and I include myself in this, a lot of the time) want 'a story about . . .,' which is quite a different, lulling and distracting experience.
Jens
Long-winded, obscure and over-written. De Lillo goes places few writers ever reach but finally you wonder why he bothers. Maybe there's a message there, but if so that message is unwantedly depressing.
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