9/11 and the Psychic Trauma Novel: Don DeLillo's Falling Man

Although Don Delillo's Falling Man (2007) has been one of the most influential 9/11 novels written to this day, it did not meet the expectations of reviewers when it was published. It is necessary to bear in mind that 9/11 can be understood both as a psychic/personal trauma and a cultural/collective one since it was a wound not only in the mind of those directly affected by the tragedy but also in the nation's sense of identity. Despite DeLillo's previous interest in cultural issues, he chose to write a 9/11 psychic -rather than cultural- trauma novel. This paper analyses the literary techniques and means of representation used in the novel to reflect the effects of traumatic memory and ponders the advantages and shortcomings of psychic trauma novels in the representation of traumas that affect society at large.