Thirteen Ways of Looking

Fiction

By: Colum McCann

Narrated by: Colum McCann

NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY CHICAGO TRIBUNE AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • NPR • Los Angeles Times • The Boston Globe • The Seattle Times • The Independent

In such acclaimed novels as Let the Great World Spin and TransAtlantic, National Book Award–winning author Colum McCann has transfixed readers with his precision, tenderness, and authority. Now, in his first collection of short fiction in more than a decade, McCann charts the territory of chance, and the profound and intimate consequences of even our smallest moments.

“As it was, it was like being set down in the best of poems, carried into a cold landscape, blindfolded, turned around, unblindfolded, forced, then, to invent new ways of seeing.”

In the exuberant title novella, a retired judge reflects on his life’s work, unaware as he goes about his daily routines that this particular morning will be his last. In “Sh’khol,” a mother spending Christmas alone with her son confronts the unthinkable when he disappears while swimming off the coast near their home in Ireland. In “Treaty,” an elderly nun catches a snippet of a news report in which it is revealed that the man who once kidnapped and brutalized her is alive, masquerading as an agent of peace. And in “What Time Is It Now, Where You Are?” a writer constructs a story about a Marine in Afghanistan calling home on New Year’s Eve.

Deeply personal, subtly subversive, at times harrowing, and indeed funny, yet also full of comfort, Thirteen Ways of Looking is a striking achievement. With unsurpassed empathy for his characters and their inner lives, Colum McCann forges from their stories a profound tribute to our search for meaning and grace. The collection is a rumination on the power of storytelling in a world where language and memory can sometimes falter, but in the end do not fail us, and a contemplation of the healing power of literature.

Praise for Thirteen Ways of Looking

“Extraordinary . . . incandescent.”—Chicago Tribune

“The irreducible mystery of human experience ties this small collection together, and in each of these stories McCann explores that theme in some strikingly effective ways. . . . [The first story] is as fascinating as it is poignant. . . . [The second] captures the mundane and mysterious aspects of shaping characters from the gray clay of words, placing them in realistic settings and breathing life into their lungs. . . . That he makes the story so emotionally compelling is a sign of his genius. . . . The most remarkable [piece] is Sh’khol. . . . Caught in the rushing currents of this drama, you know you’re reading a little masterpiece.”—The Washington Post

“McCann is a writer of power and subtlety and beauty. . . . The powerful title story loiters in the mind long after you’ve read it.”—Sarah Lyall, The New York Times

“[McCann] unspools complex and unforgettable stories in this, his first collection in more than a decade.”—The Boston Globe

“McCann is a passionate writer whose impulse is always toward a generous understanding of his diverse characters.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Powerful, profound, and deeply empathetic, McCann’s beautifully wrought writing in Thirteen Ways of Looking glides off the page.”—BuzzFeed

“McCann weaves the magic that made Let the Great World Spin so acclaimed.”—The Huffington Post

Critic reviews

“Extraordinary . . . incandescent.”—Chicago Tribune

“The irreducible mystery of human experience ties this small collection together, and in each of these stories [Colum] McCann explores that theme in some strikingly effective ways. . . . McCann has perfected a method of finely blending his own narration with his characters’ thoughts and dialogue. . . . [The first story] is as fascinating as it is poignant. . . . [The second] captures the mundane and mysterious aspects of shaping characters from the gray clay of words, placing them in realistic settings and breathing life into their lungs. . . . That he makes the story so emotionally compelling is a sign of his genius. . . . The most remarkable [piece] is Sh’khol. . . . Caught in the rushing currents of this drama, you know you’re reading a little masterpiece. . . . [It’s] only one of the treasures in this collection.”—The Washington Post

“McCann is a writer of power and subtlety and beauty. . . . The powerful title story loiters in the mind long after you’ve read it.”—Sarah Lyall, The New York Times

“[McCann] unspools complex and unforgettable stories in this, his first collection in more than a decade.”—The Boston Globe

“McCann is a passionate writer whose impulse is always toward a generous understanding of his diverse characters.”—The Wall Street Journal

“McCann’s characters in this new work—whether nuns or judges or writers—are mostly ordinary people encountering extraordinary situations often touched by loss. Powerful, profound, and deeply empathetic, McCann’s beautifully wrought writing in Thirteen Ways of Looking glides off the page.”—BuzzFeed

“In just three short stories and one novella, McCann weaves the magic that made Let the Great World Spin so acclaimed—especially in one brilliant short piece of metafiction in which the process of writing a story becomes interwoven with the story created.”—The Huffington Post

Superb!

As always, reading, or especially listening to Colum McCann’s writing is like immersing yourself in the finest works of art in the Louvre or anywhere else. Thank you!

Worth Hearing

These were very good stories but I could not rate them five stars because the endings were too abstruse and thus unsatisfying.

McCann captures the essence of humanity.

This collection of Thirteen Ways of Looking is excellent. (I have it in print and Audible).
The author's reading of his work is could not be more lovely. McCann has captured the character and essence of humanity in his stories, so that as wrenching or stunning the subject might be, we are moved and challenged to understand another more deeply.

Love

Very interesting subjects, beautifully rendered. I also love his voice. Overall an excellent audiobook. Definitely worth a listen.

A Glorious Mistake, Corrected.

For some reason I thought this book was McCann’s reflections on the art of writing, an art he has mastered, as evidenced by Let the Great World Spin and Apeirogon. Instead it was a novella and a couple of short stories, but that doesn’t mean I was wrong.

It wasn’t his reflections. It was a tutorial! This man is a Genius. His ability to paint word portraits using the subtlest, most nuanced pigments is unsurpassed. He draws the reader into each scene by describing every small detail of his characters and settings. You take in all this “data” without even realizing its impact on the story until the scene is over, but when you’re finished and you step back, the masterpiece is displayed before you.

I won’t disclose the details here, but the Old Judge, the Marine, and the Nun are three characters that will live in my mind for a very long time and should live in yours if you’re lucky enough to read this book. And I recommend that you experience his narration of the Audiobook to get its full impact. Five Stars!

Beautiful stories

As is everything written by this fabulous author, these stories were beautiful. I listened to the entire book twice.

Narrator breathes every few words

What a shame that the author chose to narrate this otherwise engrossing work. He breathes every few words, even in the middle of phrases, all of the time, as if he is chronically out of breath. It is terribly distracting.

The title story is a masterpiece

McCann makes a reference to James Joyce’s story The Dead which has been called the greatest short story in English. I would say that Thirteen Ways of Looking is equally well written, equally perceptive and McCann’s reading makes it unforgettable. This is the only audiobook I’ve listened to twice and then bought the book so I could read it. It is a treasure.

Beautifully written short stories

I was a bit ambushed by this book because I tell people that I don't like short stories in general. It may be a bit odd since I relish great writing, but somehow short stories just don't keep going and I end up disappointed. Well, when I started this book, I didn't know it was a collection -- but when I discovered it, I was more than sucked into it. Each story was better than the previous one -- or so it felt. I shouldn't have been surprised because I have loved everything he has written but these pieces just knocked me out. His use of language is simply exquisite - to the point of my rewinding several times just to hear it again.

Masterfully written, soundly performed

Colum McCann does a nice job narrating his short fiction collection. All great stories, masterfully written—tight, visceral, structured with architectural scrutiny, word selection as meaningful as a poet, characters developed with authenticity, and a tactile sensitivity to the vice of tension. This is an entertaining collection of short fiction and worthwhile reading.