The Immensity of the Here and Now: A Novel of 9.11 Book

Throughout his career, prize-winning author Paul West has reimagined the lives of some of history?s most intriguing figures. In his newest novel, The Immensity of the Here and Now, he brings his creative vision to bear on the defining event of our time: the terrorist attacks of 9.11. West gives voice to two men: Shrop, who struggles to recover his memory and the philosophical "grid" in which he slip-cased the world?both lost with the destruction of the Twin Towers; and Quent, the war-wounded therapist who tries to restore Shrop?s identity, but loses his own grip on reality in the process. Both men, pushed beyond their limits in the aftermath of 9.11, become symbols of what the I Ching calls "Brilliance Injured." With the exhilarating prose that has become his trademark, West evokes a world crippled by terror and fueled by rage. The Immensity of the Here and Now is a moving and profound meditation on the tragedy of 9.11, spun out in a dialogue between these two men. West brings to the subject his unparalleled skill as an observer, his uncanny ability to fill the gap between the telling and the event, and the verbal alchemy that has made him one of the world?s most critically acclaimed writers.Read More