B+ This is the second Colum McCann book I've read in the past few weeks and while I enjoyed "Let the Great World Spin" more, this was still a very good read. The first half was five stars, the middle three, but the end of a good book - one that leaves you missing the characters and feeling emotions at good-byes - is what showed me how much I really enjoyed this. I'm not sure I fully grasped all the nuances of the underlying motifs, but I did (and will continue) to spend time thinking about loss, sacrifice, loneliness, and life after reading this. I'm not sure I'll read this again, but it definitely deserves another reading.

The writing is elegant and this confirms my love for McCann's work. I put him up there as one of the top authors of our time and look forward to reading his past, and future work.