Big As Life

This novel presents a "what if" scenario. One day the people of New York City awake two find a couple of 2000-foot-tall figures standing in the harbor. The story describes the various ways that people cope with this event over the course of the next twelve months. I think that what Doctorow was going for is the idea that death looms over all of us, and is its own type of monstrosity, even though most of us going about our daily lives are unaware of the impending doom. Or something like that, anyway. Overall, I was a bit disappointed. "I don't know if it's courage," Red said. He was squinting to keep Wallace in focus. "There's no choice. You just believe that if you work hard and go for what you want, if you have any talent the order of the world will reward you. I don't think there's any other choice. You make believe, that's what. You make believe that there is some order and that what will happen is up to you"