Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann, would be a short story collection, except that these stories become involved with each other and each have at least a temporal relationship to Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk between the twin towers in New York City.

Each story is engrossing, the characters well-drawn and realistic. They are also diverse, in every way. McCann managed to convince me that the whole world could easily fit into New York City. I enjoyed it very much and admire McCann's writing style. It's easy to see why this book has gotten so much buzz--and the 2009 National Book Award.