It probably seems a bit strange (or maybe not) that as the 10th anniversary of 9-11 was approaching, I found myself looking for a 9-11 related novel. I have read a handful of them over the years and all have been quite good, though most of them not concentrate on the actual day... which is fine with me as watching all that over again on the anniversary date was still quite raw and painful.
It was pretty easy to find the book to read as Amy Waldman's debut novel The Submission was getting all the buzz, even been trumpeted as the 9-11 novel.
The premise of the book is fascinating: a blind/anonymous design contest to build New York City's WTC memorial... with the winner being a Muslim American, Mohammad "Mo" Khan. So, in part, the book seems inspired by Maya Lin and her design being anonymously selected as Washington DC's Vietnam War Memorial, though Waldman's "what if?" premise here would put that controversial decision (at the time) to shame. I am guessing, despite its ultimate success/iconic status, that Lin's win put an end to any blind competition for a public memorial.
I found the novel to be reminiscent of what has been my favorite/best post-9/11 novel to-date, Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin.. and that's really saying something as that novel was my 2010 Fiction Book of the Year and certainly among the best books I've read since I started blogging about books (that goes back to 2006!).
Both novels operate under a similar structure, a large and swirling cast of characters creating a multi-perspective patchwork quilt of a story. Tonally, they are quite different. McCann's novel (taking place in 1970s NYC) was lyrical and poignant tale of grief and loss that slyly evoked 9/11 whereas Waldman's work is a bold, provocative, and quite raw take of the lingering emotional aftermath of that day -- great companion pieces that I could easily see being paired up by literature classes or book clubs.
There is a lot of gray area in this novel. Readers are continually challenged to re-think what they think they really think.. got that?! Allegiances and empathy for various characters are in constant flux. For instance, and especially as someone likely tagged as a liberal elitist, I intellectually and emotionally would not have an issue with a Muslim rightfully winning such a design competition, but still found myself wavering on whether it would be "good" for the country, the individual/architect, and/or Muslims in general.
While the novel is Mo's architectural contest submission, the theme of submitting/being submissive to (and by) peer pressure, politics/political correctness, and the media is a theme that readers could debate for hours. Also debate fueling, I'd be curious what a more politically right-leaning reader would have to this novel as I think it does play to left/liberal slant (Waldman is a former co-chief of the South Asia bureau of The New York Times).
Overall, I'd rate The Submission a 4.5 stars. I was close to rounding it up to 5 stars for Goodreads, but felt it lost some steam in parts and was a bit conflicted about the ending which felt a tad tacked on/trying to tie things up in a neat bow in what had been so murky/muck-ily thought-provoking throughout.
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