As I began to read chapter one, my mind still lingered on the strange man balancing a thin bar in his hands just about to walk across the towers on a thin cable . I had a series of unanswered questions both about him and his audience: did he make it? Did the people in the crowd who shouted “just jump” cheer him on? Why didn’t the author tell us what happened? These unanswered questions began to fade as I was transported from the busy streets of Manhattan to the somber neighborhood in Sandymount, Dublin. The geography and social environment allows the reader to recreate their own perception of the setting through the author’s description. I was no longer a part of the anxious crowd preparing to watching a circus act, instead I was in a home with two young boys listening to their mother playing the piano. I felt the warmth radiating from the small family as the mother held her two young children in her arms and kissed their cheeks. The bitterness of solitude took over me as I visualized the two boys sitting against the back of the closet, letting the suits their father had left behind, along with them, brush against their face. I found myself growing attached to Corrigan as I read Ciaran’s expressive descriptions of him. In some ways he reminded me of my younger brother. How they both had a selfless nature, carefree in their own unique little world knowing no bounds. Corrigans behavior never matched with his age, not only his recklessness but also his ability to sympathize with others, “Corrigan wanted other people’s pain. He didn’t want to deal with his own,” (McCann 31). Corrigan’s personality drew me closer to him, I found myself wanting to become the person he was. I too wanted to engage with others, know about their life stories and troubles and not just stay inclosed in mine. As the two brothers grew older and reunited in Bronx, New York the story took a sudden turn. I expected Corrigan to be his usual self living in an area where he had people to help, but the ending blew the wind out of me. I sat there angry and frustrated as I was left yet with another question: why does it always have to be the good ones?
