In an intricately crafted and intelligently written tale of the mysterious underworld of New York City, Colum McCann delivers a novel that almost, but not quite, lives up to the haunting beauty of his jacket cover.
Rolling across the wide expanse of open sky, gray clouds approach the distant outlines of New York City, where smog and clouds mingle as one. A faint ray of light rises behind the city, promising relief from the otherwise bleak picture, while an ominous dark figure of a mysterious bird-man hovers in the foreground, ready to launch into his triumphant flight. Unfortunately, the novel itself falls flat.
Set in the underground tunnels of New York, McCann's "This Side of Brightness" follows the development of two lives altered by the dark passages underneath the city: those of Nathan Walker, a "sandhog" at the turn of the century, and Treefrog, a homeless man taking refuge in these same tunnels three-quarters of a century later.
McCann combines almost all the necessary elements in this one novel. His realistic events, fleshed-out characters, intriguing descriptions and healthy dose of social concern are present in just the right amounts.
Despite this achievement, however, the novel is lacking in the one thing needed to tie it all together. Though this story is expertly crafted, it is barren of any amount of warmth and vitality reaching out to the reader. The human element fizzles out within the first few chapters, leaving the reader alone to connect with a disinterested novel.
The novel begins with the "sandhogs" of the early 1900s: the men responsible for burrowing under the East River and forming the train tunnels. Braving the terrors and risks that come with the job, the men form friendships crossing racial and cultural barriers that otherwise divide men aboveground. The details are horrific enough to outrage even the most modest social conscience, and culminate in a tragic accident that proves to be the turning point in the life of the protagonist, Nathan Walker.
Decades later, Treefrog, a homeless man, haunts the tunnels underground, trying to escape his own past in the dark tunnels. Once a construction worker beaming down at the city from the heights, Treefrog is forced deep into the dark underworld by memories of an unrelenting past. McCann confronts the details of the life of the homeless without fear or shame, bringing the reader along without cringing or judging.
Alternating between these two stories, the novel progresses as the time gap between them gradually closes and the stories become interwoven with an unexpected twist. But as time progresses, the quality of the novel spirals downward, as the author strains for a meaningful connection between the time periods that adds nothing to the story.
This novel is to be commended for its curiously different approach to the city, and McCann's intelligent and polished writing. Both its setting and its characters are realistic and believable, and create a snapshot of the life of the city normally unavailable to its above-ground inhabitants.
Unfortunately, the occasional piercing sentence and profound imagery are dragged down by the otherwise detached writing and gradually disintegrating storyline. By the end of the novel one is compelled to finish simply to be done, and not because of any intense connection with the characters or concern for their outcome. What began with a fresh hope of reaching the bright sky in the distance falters and founders in the murky expanse in between, and is lost.
