THIRTEEN WAYS OF LOOKING

Author:  Colum McCann

Genre:  Short Story Collection, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  4.25/5 (very good +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Colum McCann

Yearly Count:  34

From NetGalley:

In the exuberant title novella, a retired judge reflects on his life's work, unaware as he goes about his daily routines that this particular morning will be his last. In “Sh'khol,” a mother spending Christmas alone with her son confronts the unthinkable when he disappears while swimming off the coast near their home in Ireland. In “Treaty,” an elderly nun catches a snippet of a news report in which it is revealed that the man who once kidnapped and brutalized her is alive, masquerading as an agent of peace. And in “What Time Is It Now, Where You Are?” a writer constructs a story about a Marine in Afghanistan calling home on New Year's Eve.

 Wow.  I like this guy's writing.  It's very engaging and deep.  The novella and all the short stories were well written.  The most unique story was "What Time Is It Now, Where You Are?" (see above)  I have never been privy to that thought process.  Kinda fun!  They all were on the sad side of the emotional spectrum, but not necessary a slap of sad, but a thought-provoking kind of sad.  I listened to Colum read his own collection . . . well done!  

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.