A great book to begin with, as it traces the stories of twelve people, or there abouts. It takes place mostly in New York City, with the tightrope walker of 1974 as the organizing metaphor for the book. Almost everyone either sees or hears about the walk, and the fatal day also seem to have grave consequences for most of the characters. The novel starts with two brothers, the Corrigans, in Ireland, their family, their relationships with their father, mother, and especially the older brother, called Corrigan by all, who has this interest in the underside of the city, constantly spending his evenings with the drunks,the addicts, the poor. One is not quite sure where the novel is going, and when this brief opening ends, the next chapter begins with Corrigan, now a confirmed priest,living in the Bronx. His older brother Ciaran, comes to visit him, and because he has nowhere to go, and seems to be trying to find himself, he ends up staying with his brother, who embodies liberationist theology, in that he sees good in all, especially the poor, the out, the prostitutes, who he has befriended. He ends up dying in a car crash, after bailing out a young prostitute named Jazzlyn. She dies, too, leaving behind her mother Tillie, also a prostitute, who we learn much about in later chapters, how she became a streetwalker, how she ended up in jail, why she wants to see her daughter's babies, and why she finally commits suicide.
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