it's interesting that i put this on my list around a time when i was trying to get more deeply involved in my religion, and i read it at a time when i renounce all religion, because the characters in this book have a similarly conflicting relationship with religion (both christian and jewish). this is largely a book about religion, which i freely admit isn't something i generally want to read about these days, but it's also about family and everyday relationships to life itself, about mortality and end of life.

he made strange point of view choices - switching perspective mid paragraph - that sometimes worked and sometimes read strangely. (Ex: "After church, Sutton smoked a joint at home. I got the munchies. He ate two teaspoonfuls of sugar.")

it was ok, nothing stand out in either direction for me.

"'I have this fantasy that if I lie in bed, without moving, I'll live.'" ( )

In the Jewish tradition, the Days of Awe refers to the ten-day period between Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when Jews believe their actions of the preceding year are judged and their fate for the coming year sealed. In this brief, but compelling, novel, Hugh Nissenson appropriates the term to describe the turmoil in the lives of a group of educated, affluent New Yorkers in the period between August and November 2001, spanning the period surrounding the terrorist attack of 9/11. In radically different ways, each of the novel’s characters gropes for answers to some of life’s ultimate questions. Nissenson offers no easy solutions, reminding us that meaning more often lies in the journey than in reaching the destination. ( )

This is primarily the story of Artie and Johanna Rubin, New Yorkers married for nearly 40 years. Artie writes and illustrates books on myths, Johanna is an investment manager. This novel focuses on August and September 2001, and circles on themes of religion (particularly religious vs secular Judaism), ancient and modern myths, addiction, family ties and obligationsI am not a fan of modernist writing techniques, such as the first-person narration switching between characters, sometimes representing 5 voices on 1 page. I also found the choice of language troubling. Artie is an intellectual, yet he refers to looking at women's t**s, and even goes as far to notice that his pregnant daughter's t**s are "huge." Do men really think this way about the daughters they love?

The most compelling part of the novel, of course, is the description of the terrorist attack. I finally connected with the characters at this point. Yet, immediately after the attacks, these New Yorkers move right back to their lives (granted, another more personal crisis occurs). I live in the NYC area, and the attacks colored every conversation, every interaction for weeks. The way Artie returns to his books and his musings sans reflection on this immense event makes him and the other characters less likable, less real. ( )