What do You think about Songdogs (1996)?
I was prompted to read this after reading Colum McCann's most recent novel, "Let the Great World Spin"- also an exceptional book and highly recommended reading. "Songdog" is his first published novel, and it is absolutely one of the best books I've read. The imagery is so vivid, the characters so real. I would be pulled into a Norman Rockwell painting while reading the descriptions of photographs taken by "the old man", though the purity and grace of those descriptions was likely far from reality. It is in parts a tragedy, other parts insightful and enlightening, always engrossing and beautifully written. Classic tale of family, searching, understanding and acceptance if not forgiveness, and realizing that history (our memory) is "3/4 imagination and the rest lies".
—Robin
This book somehow ended up in my bedroom at my parents' house (probably cast off by my dad after he was finished with it) and I just sort of fell into reading it. Because of its random appearance I didn't expect much from it and I was pleasantly surprised. It's the story of a son who traces his father's life through scraps of letters and old photographs. From Ireland to Mexico and back again, Collin follows his father on the journey of his life and loves. If this book ever finds its way into your hands, don't resist. It won't be a bad experience.
—Emily
This book made me wish that Goodreads had half stars so I could give this a 3 1/2 (somewhere between I liked it but not quite to I REALLY liked it). This is Colum McCann's first novel and it's clear he's a wonderful writer as he moves between the past and the present in the lives of Conor Lyons and his parents. Conor returns to his home in Ireland after several years of wandering and finds his father in less than stellar shape--frail, not taking care of himself, and going off to fish every day in a polluted stream near their house. Conor's father, Michael, took up photography at a young age, traveled around the world, and ended up meeting Conor's mother in Mexico. After living in several places in the U.S., they return to Michael's home town, where Conor is subsequently born. But there's far more to the story than that, and McCann weaves Conor's narrative of trying to connect with his father in the present day with stories both of Michael and Juanita in the past as well as Conor's search for his mother--a search that takes him to a small village in Mexico, San Franicisco, and Wyoming. The story is nuanced, a bit grim, but sometimes beautiful and makes me wonder how much of his own life McCann mined for this. Definitely worth reading . . . if only to see how a brilliant novelist first began working out some important themes on paper.
—Jennifer
