Questions for Discussion:
1. Falling Man chronicles a tragic, defining moment in
American history, yet the news stories are left out. We see the
event through the eyes of the people who witnessed it, or through
the story of the terrorist, Hammad. What do you make of DeLillo''s
choice?
2. Discuss Keith and Lianne''s separate pursuits of solace and
relief. What does Keith''s relationship with Florence provide him?
Why does Lianne depend so deeply on her meetings with the
Alzheimer''s patients? Are there similarities in the way that Keith
and Lianne attempt to recuperate and comprehend their new post-9/11
world? What are the differences?
3. One plotline focuses on Nina, Lianne''s mother, and Martin,
Nina''s German lover. What are the issues regarding America and
American patriotism that surface in Nina and Martin''s debates?
What is the role of their story in the novel? Why is it significant
that we discover that Martin''s real name is Ernst Hechinger and
that he was on the periphery of a terrorist group in Germany in the
1970s?
4. Keith eventually enters the professional poker circuit,
spending a great majority of his time away from home, in anonymous
windowless rooms, gambling. What do you think of Keith''s descent
into this state of alienation?
5. Why does Lianne believe that Keith wants to kill someone (p.
214)? Both Lianne and Keith have outbursts of anger or violence --
Keith when "shopping" for beds with Florence, Lianne in her
encounter with the woman in her apartment building who plays loud
Arabic music. Are these episodes symptoms of unexamined
disturbance?
6. Children in DeLillo''s fiction are often uncannily wise and
observant. Keith and Lianne''s son Justin and his friends, the
twins, try to make sense of the event in secret. They watch with
binoculars to see if the planes will come back. They whisper about
"Bill Lawton." What do they contribute to the novel? What does
their perspective offer?
7. Lianne thinks that Falling Man, the performance artist,
"eluded her" (p. 224) - that she felt connected with the other
people who watched him fall from the tracks, but "not that man
who''d stood above her, detailed and looming" (p. 224). While
Lianne researches Falling Man online she comes upon material from a
New School panel discussion concerning, "Falling Man as Heartless
Exhibitionist or Brave New Chronicler of the Age of Terror" (p.
220). How would you characterize Falling Man''s performances?
8. Besides Falling Man, consider some of the other symbols used
in this novel. Discuss the significance of the briefcase and the
Morandi paintings.
9. At the end of each of the three parts within the novel is a
brief coda featuring Hammad, a terrorist, as the protagonist. What
effect do you think these passages have on the novel as a whole?
How does the inclusion of the terrorist''s perspective affect a
story told primarily from the victims'' point of view?
10. Is there meaning in the book''s narrative structure? It
opens with Keith walking out of the wreckage, moves on to explore
how Keith and Lianne struggle to cope with life after 9/11, and
concludes with the attacks themselves, as Keith watches his friend
die and then escapes down the stairs. Why do you think DeLillo both
opens and closes the novel in the midst of the chaos? How
different, in terms of the narration and connotation, is the
introduction from the conclusion?
11. The novel closes with the following lines, "Then he [Keith]
saw a shirt come down out of the sky. He walked and saw it fall,
arms waving like nothing in this life" (p. 246). Discuss how these
concluding sentences made you feel. What do you think DeLillo was
trying to accomplish in closing his 9/11 novel in this way?
12. Did you sympathize with Keith and Lianne? Do you think that
they''re good parents and spouses, or, are these questions made
irrelevant given their circumstances following 9/11? Did you feel
more strongly connected to one character over another? Consider
their interactions and expectations of one another in the aftermath
of the attacks. What effect did this have on you as a reader?
13. In novels that explore a tragedy of some kind, redemption is
often a crucial element. Is there redemption in this novel? Why or
why not?
14. Has Falling Man allowed you to gain new perspective
on 9/11? Has it shown you an aspect of the event''s consequences
that you hadn''t considered before?
Enhance Your Book Club:
1. The paintings of artist Giorgio Morandi are featured as
objects of interest in Falling Man. Read more about him
and view some of his work at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Morandi or on museum sites
such as www.moma.org or http://www.metmuseum.org. Look into your
local art museum''s collections, and if it has a Morandi painting,
visit the museum with your group.
2. As with any major historic event, people often remember
exactly what they were doing when that event occurred. As a group,
share your 9/11 experiences. How have your feelings about the
attacks changed, if at all, with the passage of time?
3. Don DeLillo is a prolific and critically acclaimed author.
Read this review of DeLillo titles in New York Magazine
and pick another DeLillo book to read as a companion text.
http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/31522/