Let the Great World Spin

Enjoyed reading Colum McCann’s book Let the Great World Spin the past two days.  Once I began it, it was hard to put down.  The story begins with the real life feat of tightrope walker Philippe Petit’s crossing of the Word Trade Center Towers, 110 stories up, performed in 1974.  All of the people in lower Manhattan stayed glued to his tremendous acrobatic dance in the sky as police and other local agencies attempted to get him down.  But the feat itself was not the main focus of the novel, but served as an underlying metaphor for how our world spins daily, around events, which has many of us connected, without even knowing it.  As a reader, we are introduced to 4 other stories of interesting people, their histories, and how they all watched Philippe’s spectacular crossing, or were later involved in the aftermath (his court case).  It isn’t until more than half-way through the book that the connections begin to come together. 

The characters are rich, deep and true, connected in a way that illustrates just how small this world is and how we never know whom we need the most or who needs us the most.  The characters include:  the Irish born brothers, one a religious monk who uprooted to NY and the other visiting him and arriving to USA for the first time; the judge (and his wife), who administers Petit’s sentencing, whom grieve over the loss of their son in the Vietnam War; a married artistic couple who struggle for years with alcohol/drug addiction; two generations of prostitutes (mother / daughter) and the illegitimate children; and a Guatemalan woman who works at a rehabilitation center for the elderly.  Somehow all of these people become connected, some take actions (non-intentional) that impact the lives of others and some don’t take action and miss out on the potential for impact on other’s lives. 

McCann has written a brilliant piece, moving and riveting.  The story is exceedingly well-written and makes me realize as I walk down a NY street just how close I am to so many, noting the importance of every little decision I make or don’t make, could have consequences that I’ll never know.  The ending takes place 22 years later as one of the prostitute’s daughters, now in her early 30s reconnects with one of the main characters at the end of their life as she reflects on how the world continues to spin, even at the end of one person’s life.  Life is a tight rope, crossing the wire without falling is the triumph in one’s life.  Buckling a bit with the tremors of the bouncing line is the struggle, and yes, we are often alone doing so, but we should note the person on our left and right, maybe they are walking by us for a reason and can potentially help making meaning of the spinning world….