Paul Auster

Paul Auster is in top form in this novel, divided into four parts. From the start, we are lulled into believing this is a typical coming-of-age story. The first act concerns a young college student at Columbia University who falls under the sway of a fatalistic French professor and his mysterious, sensual partner, who may or may not be his girlfriend. After various intriguing propositions and a shocking turn, their relationship founders. But it is certainly not the end of the road for these three. And don't think for a minute you know where it's all going.

As we explore this young man's life, both out of sequence and from varying perspectives, Auster has darker surprises in store, taking us to Europe and back, into the beds of unlikely lovers, through the heights of decadence to the depths of suffering. Rarely have we seen such a twisting plot pulled off with such effortless grace. The bounding narrative is never difficult to grasp because Auster's staging is so impeccable, and his prose hypnotizes through its clarity and psychological depth.