I found this using Esquire's search bar
I found this by searching Paterniti's Byliner.com account.
Michael Paterniti is quite the descriptive writer. What I enjoyed about his style of writing is his ability to go back and comment on elements of his story he has already introduced without sounding redundant. In The Long Fall of One-Eleven Heavy, I'd argue that the main character of the story is not a person at all, rather the ocean that takes the lives of the 229 people onboard Swissair Flight 111.
Paterniti begins, ends and scatters throughout the middle the specific location of the ocean. I'd say his transcendent quality is being able to talk about the specific element of the ocean and lighthouse without making it seem dry. The green light may just be a green light continuously revolving around the lighthouse, but as I read, the green light took on a new quality each time it was reintroduced. It's importance and symbolism grew. No longer was it a green light, but a sign of identification among the sea, then a sign of warning and danger, then a sign of a specific and emotional memorial.
His voice is soothing and calming during these stories. Even during a plane crash and marriage--two different extremes--Paterniti's voice remains the same. The soothing quality gives the reader a sense of reassurance, that no matter what may happen in this f*cked-up world, everything will somehow be OK. I didn't enjoy that quality with the Swissair story. It didn't match the overall tension of the narrative. However, his voice matched perfectly for the marriage story. I can't think of a better match. I completely pictured the entire scene. It was as if I was reading a brief movie script.
The structure of the stories worked well. Even though the events were mostly organized chronologically, there were anecdotes lingering throughout. I enjoyed the scattered memories of the father (i.e. when his daughter was fishing for the goldfish as a child). The anecdotes blended nicely with the overall story. They never took away anything, rather they offered a new dimension to the story rather than just writing the events from beginning to end.
To comment on The Hero of Nanjing, I really didn't like it at all. I think it was just more of a news story about this man saving people who try and commit suicide on the bridge. Although it still is very descriptive, I was unlucky in that I could not really find that much of a transcendent quality. Poor choice of reading on my part.
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