Walking on a wire

Let The Great World Spin is a novel which centers on Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the Twin Towers on August 7th, 1974. This single event has been taken as the starting point by Colum McCann from which the lives of a multitude of individuals are effected.

Each individual is given a chapter to delineate their world. There is the Irish priest and his brother working in the South Bronx and the prostitutes that the priest is attempting to help. Another story is added by a wealthy housewife whose son was killed in Vietnam. With each narrative strand added to the story it becomes clearer how all of their lives are intertwined. The final chapter is set in 2006 and brings the story to a satisfactory conclusion.

McCann's strategy in this novel allows in-depth views of his characters on the days before the tightrope walk, and the day of the walk. Notably absent are any details about Petit, but perhaps that is because he is a real person.