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Description edit
Claire Harwell hasn’t settled into grief; events haven’t let her. Cool, eloquent, raising two fatherless children, Claire has emerged as the most visible of the widows who became a potent political force in the aftermath of the catastrophe. She longs for her husband, but she has found her... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
Selected for a jury that must choose an appropriate memorial for September 11 victims, Claire Harwell, who lost her husband during the attacks, struggles to navigate a media firestorm when the winning designer is revealed as an enigmatic Muslim-American who refuses to represent any beliefs but... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters edit
- Claire Burwell: 9/11 widow with two children; conflicted
- Mohammad "Mo" Khan: an enigmatic Muslim-American designer; main character; secular Muslim
- Paul Rubin: Chairman of the jury to select a memorial design and fundraise for it.
- Asma Anwar: A muslim widow, living in the US illegally; minor but powerful character
- Sean Gallagher: A man who, inspired by the death of his fire fighter brother, rallies against the Memorial being designed by a Muslim
- Alyssa Spier: Reporter determined to get the scoop
- Mrs. Mahmoud: Amsa's landlady
- William: Claire's young son
- Laila Fathi: A female lawyer on the MACC
- Ariana Montagu: The artist on the board who backed the second place design
- Eileen Gallagher: Sean and Patrick's mother
- Abdul: Asma's infant son
- Nasruddin: The "mayor" of Little Dhaka, a Brooklyn neighborhood, with a lot of Bengali immigrants, like Asma
- Issam Malik: Executive director of the Muslim American Coordinating Council
- Debbie Dawson: The founder of Save America from Islam, an outspoken women empowered by the cause
- Thomas: Mo's best friend and colleague
- Patrick: Sean's brother who died in the attack
- Jacob: Paul Rudin's dead beat "film maker" son
- Alice: Thomas' wife
- Emmanuel Roi: Mo's boss at the firm
- Gov. Geraldine Bitman: The NY Governor
- Salman: Mo's father
- Maria: on the committee to select a memorial, a public art curator
- Lanny: Pauls assistant
- Chaz: Alyssa Spier's tabloid hungry editor at the Post; brilliant, slimy
- Edith: Paul's wife who had high ambitions for him
- Lou Sarge: popular right wing radio talk show host
- Bob Wilner: A juror on the committee, the governor's man, a lawyer
- Hasina: Member of the MACC
- Yuki: Mo's girlfriend,
- Penelope: Claire's young daughter
- Inam: Asma's husband, died in the Towers
- Jack: Claire's college boyfriend
Setting & Locations edit
Mostly in New York City, a few years after the September 11 World Trade Center attacks of 2001.
- Manhattan
- Brooklyn
- Kabul
- India
- Sandwip, Bangladesh: The hometown of Asma, which she left after her marriage to Inam.
- Chappaqua: A wealthy town on Long Island where Claire Burwell lives with her children
- Gracie Mansion: Home of the mayor of New York City
First Sentence edit
"The names," Claire said. "What about the names?"
Table of Contents edit
Chapters 1 through 25
Themes & Symbolism edit
Series & Lists edit
This is book 2 of 10 in Amazon.com Best Books of August (2011). (authoritative list)
Preceded by The Magician King, and followed by Beijing welcomes you.
This is book 3 of 10 in NPR Best Novels of 2011. (authoritative list)
Preceded by Open City, and followed by The Art of Fielding.
This book is in 2011 Published Books. (community list)
This book is in Amazon.com Best Books of 2011. (authoritative list)
This book is in Kirkus Reviews: Best Fiction of 2011. (authoritative list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Amy Waldman (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Country: USA
Publication Date: August 16, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-374-27156-5
Page Count: 299
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Country: USA
Publication Date: August 16, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-374-27156-5
Page Count: 299
Awards edit
- Guardian First Book Award (Finalist, 2011, Longlist)
- Orange Prize for Fiction (Finalist, 2012, Longlist)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PS3623 A35675 S83 2011
- Dewey: 813.6
Subjects edit
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