Thirteen Ways Of Looking

A New York Times Notable Book of 2015, Thirteen Ways of Looking “wonderfully showcases [McCann’s] fierce intellect and capacious, empathetic imagination” as he charts the vast territory of chance and the profound and intimate consequences of even our smallest moments (The Globe and Mail).

It is a cold day in January when J. Mendelssohn wakes in his Upper East Side apartment. Old and frail, he is entirely reliant on the help of his paid caregiver, Sally. The day begins slowly, and as he waits for the heating to come on, the clacking of the pipes stirs memories of the past, of his childhood in Lithuania and Dublin, of his distinguished career as a judge, and of his late wife, Eileen, whom he met when he was just a child. Later Mendelssohn and Sally head off to dine with Mendelssohn’s son, Elliot. When Elliot departs mid-meal, Mendelssohn continues eating alone as the snow falls heavily outside. Moments after Mendelssohn leaves the restaurant, he is brutally attacked.

Detectives working the case follow Mendelssohn’s movements as captured by cameras in his home and on the street, looking for something in the stitched-together fragments of time that will propel them toward a critical epiphany. Their work is like that of a poet: the search for a random word that, included at the right instance, will suddenly make sense of everything.

Told from a multitude of perspectives, in lyrical, hypnotic prose, Thirteen Ways of Looking is a groundbreaking novella of true resonance, exploring the many possible consequences of a simple act. Accompanied by three equally powerful stories set in Afghanistan, Galway and London, it is a tribute to humanity’s search for meaning and grace. From a writer at the height of his form, Thirteen Ways of Looking imagines immensities, even in the smallest corners of our lives.