Thirteen Ways Of Looking by Colum McCann:Book Review

Disclaimer: I was sent this Kindle Book from the publisher(Random House) through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. The book will be on shelves Oct 13 2015

This book consists of one novella and three short stories. McCann has told them all masterfully. His writing is a joy to read and it  borders on luscious. He is an Irish writer who gets into the head of the reader. I read his book “Let The Great World Spin” many years ago and loved it.
The novella in this book was a “cannot put down” read. It is titled “Thirteen Ways of Looking” The short stories are “What Time Is It Now, Where You Are?”,”Sh’khol”, and “Treaty”. In the novella McCann (an Irish writer) writes a story about a day in the life of a retired elderly  judge(who is Jewish). He meets his son for lunch on a snowy day in New York City.McCann uses the judge’s thoughts to portray the story to the reader and the effect is superb. We feel the indignities of old age and can feel the judge’s pain and disappointment in his son’s choices.But there is much more… I will not give away the story but you will not be disappointed. The author’s note at the end gives you a glimpse into how he came to write these stories. As they say “truth is stranger then fiction”. The writing is so awesome. I reread a couple of the short stories twice because the language was so beautiful. After reading the last story “Treaty” I was wanting more. I do not know how Mr McCann writes such thought provoking language that he incorporates so well into stories, but I hope he continues to entertain us for a long time to come. He is truly a gifted writer. Five stars is not enough for this read.