Colum McCann, Doing What He Does Best

Transatlantic by Colum McCann
Reviewed by Consuelo

Colum McCann is back, and doing what he does best – weaving disparate storylines across time and place into one stunning work of fiction.

TransAtlantic begins with the stories of four real-life men with ties to Ireland. Jack Alcock and Teddy Brown make the first transatlantic flight from Newfoundland to the Irish coast. McCann’s decision to start with these two men is brilliant and his account of their adventure is gripping and attention grabbing. He also provides a glimpse of Frederick Douglass, on a book tour in Ireland, that humanizes such a legendary figure. The section that describes Senator George Mitchell’s attempts at promoting peace in Northern Ireland is subtle, and more personal than political.

And then McCann uses his special brand of literary magic and tells the tale of four generations of women who tie these men together. It never feels like a mere machination or manipulation because it’s done with such balance and precision that each character is needed or none of them would exist. Irish housemaid Lily Duggan makes the courageous decision to immigrate to the United States and must reinvent herself several times as she struggles with multiple hardships. Her journalist daughter leads an unconventional life in Newfoundland with her own daughter, Lottie, until life leads them back to Ireland.  Lottie and her daughter Hannah must endure a terrible tragedy that breaks both their hearts.

Each of these women is both strong and vulnerable, deepening the humanity of the men that came before them in the first half of the book. McCann has a range of emotional nuance that allows his characters to come to life. He so carefully chooses the moments in these characters’ lives that best tell us who they are and connect with each other, that a novel that seems epic in scope has a beautiful simplicity that truly soars.

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Copies of Transatlantic are available in-store and via bookpeople.com.