A jury gathers in Manhattan to select a memorial for the victims of a devastating terrorist attack. Their fraught deliberations complete, the jurors open the envelope containing the anonymous winner's name - and discover he is an American Muslim. Instantly they are cast into roiling debate about the claims of grief, the ambiguities of art, and the meaning of Islam. Their conflicted response is only a preamble to the country's.

The memorial's designer is an enigmatic, ambitious architect named Mohammad Khan. His fiercest defender on the jury is its sole widow, the self-possessed and mediagenic Claire Burwell. But when the news of his selection leaks to the press, she finds herself under pressure from outraged family members and in collision with hungry journalists, wary activists, opportunistic politicians, fellow jurors, and Khan himself - as unknowable as he is gifted. In the fight for both advantage and their ideals, all will bring the emotional weight of their own histories to bear on the urgent question of how to remember, and understand, a national tragedy.

In this deeply humane novel, the breadth of Amy Waldman's cast of characters is matched by her startling ability to conjure their perspectives. A striking portrait of a fractured city striving to make itself whole, The Submission is a piercing and resonant novel by an important new talent.

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Listening Length	12 hours and 47 minutes
Author	Amy Waldman
Narrator	Bernadette Dunne
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	February 27, 2013
Publisher	Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B00BM7F89S
Best Sellers Rank	#416,344 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #18,324 in Literary Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) #215,723 in Literary Fiction (Books)

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Frank Camm

Excellent scenario for a public policy seminar or case study

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2013

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The good news first. Ms. Waldman does a superb job of identifying points of view relevant to a potential competition to design a memorial to the 9/11 attacks. She parses them with extraordinary subtlety and uses them to put in motion a plausible scenario of how such a competition might unfold and how the many stakeholders in such a memorial might act as the competition unfolds. Their interactions can tell us a lot about who we are as a nation and how we make public decisions. A colleague once proposed to me that our employer, a public policy analysis organization, should translate research findings into fictional vehicles to convey those findings to a broader general audience than typically reads our products. If we ever did that, this novel would be the model I would emulate. Quite remarkable. I expect it to support an energetic discussion in my next book club meeting, which will be populated by wonks much like myself. But it deserves a much broader audience.

In the process of doing this, Ms. Waldman also describes two competing designs that I found compelling. Did she really think themselves up herself or work with a professional architect to fill in the details? For the reader, it doesn't matter. Ultimately, details of the content of one of those designs drive the whole novel. The book would not get off the ground if she had not begun with a design that was worthy of the reader's attention and simultaneously could support a broad range of plausible views about it. Without these conflicting views, we would not have a novel.

Now my principal reservations. First and foremost, the characters do not feel genuinely alive to me. I see them in motion. I understand (I hope!) the subtlety of their views and how those views drive their actions. And with only a couple of exceptions, I find their motivations, their actions, and the responses to them by others plausible. But I never feel like they are fully present as independent actors. Rather, they feel like foils who appear mainly to deliver the panoply of perspectives that make the novel so compelling as a scenario.

Second, I repeatedly feel like the author is telling me what is happening and why rather than showing me the action and letting me develop my own inner version of the story. I think this concern is related to my first. It is hard to get inside a character when you are repeatedly told what's inside rather being shown.

So. Not serious literature. But clearly written. And it provides a depth of insight on a public policy topic that continues to be near the center of American political discourse. I hope it motivates many vigorous discussions. And maybe even elevates our civic culture a bit in the process. Thank you, Ms. Waldman, for a book well worth reading and sharing with friends.

6 people found this helpful

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Gigi

Well written, thought provoking and gripping

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2015

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It's one of the best books I've read this year. Set within the familiar post 9/11 trauma, the dilemma of a Muslim, albeit an American, winning the design contest of what memorializes what was lost at Ground Zero seems emotionally real. Characters in all their human frailties are realistically shown. Prejudices, ambition, manipulation -- all play a part in the unfolding tragedy that changes life direction for many of the players. It's a stirring, disturbing scenario that makes you think and sorrow over how whole groups of people, beliefs, and religions can be misunderstood and vilified. The line near the end about how we -- how America self corrects was hopeful.

3 people found this helpful

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Anne Mills

Shadows of 9/11: Islam in America

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2012

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Started slow, but ended up as a compelling story, as well as an interesting examination of some of the issues and emotions sparked by 9/11. Set two years after 9/11, the novel posits an architectural competition set up to choose the design for a memorial at the site. The entries are anonymous, and when the envelope is opened -- lo and behold, the winner is a Muslim. An American Muslim, yes, but still a Muslim.

The novel looks at the reaction to this event from many different perspectives -- those of politicos, those of relatives of the 9/11 victims, those of American Muslims of several different stripes, and those of the architect himself. Some of the motivations are a little vague, and some of the characters a little flat, but the author has rejected the temptation (with her major characters, at least) to provide characterization in lieu of characters. Some reviewers have noted that it is hard to like any of the characters very much, but I did get more and more interested in them as the novel proceeded -- particularly in the character of the architect.

Some of the difficulty in liking the characters may be because this is in large part a novel of ideas, rather than a novel of characters pure and simple. The characters aren't simple, and the issues are still very much alive. In a recent exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York on New York Activism, the last section was devoted to post 9/11 anti-Muslim and pro-Muslim activism. It is only too clear that the issue has not yet been resolved.

3 people found this helpful

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Erin Bradley

Lacks in character development...

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2014

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The premise of this book is a good one: it's two years after 9/11 and a jury has been tasked with picking a memorial from a public competition. The jury unknowingly picks a submission from a Muslim and chaos ensues.
The book has a lot of good insights and thoughts about America's poor treatment of that culture after the attack, our arrogance afterward. "The attack made everyone afraid of appearing unpatriotic, of questioning government, leaders. Fear has justified war, torture, secrecy, all kinds of violations of rights and liberties." And America is still paying that price.
However, the book itself failed to deliver anything but annoyance. The characters, even the ones you should've been rooting for, were all so unlikeable! And those are the ones you remembered. The character development was just awful in general, which made the book no fun to read. I do not recommend.

2 people found this helpful

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Open Ears

Great concept but didn't meet its promise

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2015

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The basis of this novel is the outcome of an anonymous competition to design a memorial for the site of the World Trade Centre after 9/11 and the ensuing moral dilemma once the identity of the winner becomes known. I really liked the concept but found it didn’t quite meet my expectations. I felt that the writing style was a bit heavy handed and I found I couldn’t find any connection with the characters who I found to be rather stereotyped.
On closer reflection I think the key problem for me was that I didn’t “buy in” to the dilemma. I feel that the novel was supposed to challenge the reader by dividing loyalties but my view was pretty clear from the start so while I appreciated the exploration of the different perspectives, I didn’t find that these had any particular impact on how I saw things.

While on the face of it this was a novel about fear and relationships after the September 11th attacks, there also seemed to be a strong undercurrent of criticism of the press and the way it can manipulate and distort public opinion. While this was strongly expressed I don’t think it presented anything new.

All of this said, what keeps the novel interesting is the wish to find out what the eventual outcome is – whether a memorial is ever built and if so, what design is chosen. This kept me reading and there are some unexpected twists. Overall though, I had hoped for more from this novel.

One person found this helpful

Eleanor

A novel of America

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2011

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Set in 2003 this novel explores what happens after a Muslim architect is chosen to design the 9/11 memorial.

There is a danger in topical books like this that the characters become just a vehicle for various sides of the debate; however, Waldman's excellent writing, sharp descriptions, and (for the most part) well-rounded characters made this a very enjoyable book.

I think one has to be in the right mood to read "The Submission" as sometimes all the arguments regarding religion, nationality, and allegiance, can be wearying to read or (as intended) provoke anger at the seemingly intractable factions within the USA. At other times, however, Waldman makes you sympathize unexpectedly with various unsympathetic characters, and causes you to feel frustrated at those who you know are in the right. I closed the book feeling stimulated, provoked, and rather sad.

One person found this helpful

so true

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2012

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This story seems believable, the reactions of the characters to the thought of a monument created by a Muslim at the site of 9/11 seem pretty much as expected - openly horrified/affronted/angry or inwardly feeling the same but feel the need to be PC, very few really believe it shouldn't be an issue - maybe one day it won't matter - but for now every bad act carried out by a Muslim is highlighted as being committed by a Muslim and tarnishes us all while bad acts carried out by people of other faiths only tarnish them as an individual - you won't see a newspaper article saying a Christian/Jew/Atheist took a shot gun to school and killed his classmates, nope he'd just be called a person from such and such a town. Very thought provoking.

2 people found this helpful

Modafinil

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 15, 2012

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My washing is sitting unironed,I am in desperate need of some food and a shower but WOW was it worth it. This is well written even handed account of a fictitious event.One which however really forces the reader to examine their own beliefs/faith/prejudices.Many times in the last two days my feelings have swung between the two opposing camps. In the end the brilliance of the novel is that there is no right side. We all live our lives in shades of grey. We are all products of our life and automatic biology which can lead us down dark paths.

All i'd say is buy it now and book two days off work! you will not regret it.I'd lend you mine but showering and reading don't mix ¬!

One person found this helpful

Muhammad A Ismail

Challenging

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2017

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There is an ambiguity in the book that leaves you wondering what others reading it, and the author herself, are thinking. Should Khan withdraw is a taxing question with no easy answer...

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