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Title: Disappointing
Review: This is the first novel I have read by Alice McDermott, but not the first "National Book Award" winner. At it's conclusion, I find myself wondering how this book ever won any award. It was a disappointment. The novel's premise is promising - reflection on a man's life from the vantage point of his wake - a love lost without closure because of a burdensome lie, and the emptiness of alcoholism. The promise of the story unfulfilled because not one of it's characters is described with enough dimension to enable the reader to identify with personality or plight. The reading laborsome due to ineffective description and frequent time jumping. Even when the reader is drawn into the present, a tale more compellingly told - it is short lived - leaving the reader flat, unsure if they want more or are just glad the confusion is over. Perhaps that is the metaphor (about life) the author was after, but this reader, unfortunately, was not made wiser. No recommendation here.
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