I’ve really enjoyed reading this book by Paul Auster. I hadn’t read anything by him before but Judith of Reader in the Wilderness pointed me in his direction, thank you.
It’s the story of Nathan and his relationships with his extended family and the characters of the neighbourhood in Brooklyn which he has just moved to. He hasn’t been back there since his parents moved out 56 years ago and as he was only 3 years old at the time he has no memories of the place but he is still drawn back there after having treatment for lung cancer. His wife has recently divorced him.
The way Paul Auster describes Brooklyn, it sounds exactly like Glasgow, and as an exiled Glaswegian I became immediately enamoured of the place and the people.
Apparently, “Brooklynites are less reluctant to talk to strangers than any tribe I have previously encountered. They butt into one another’s business at will (old women scolding young mothers for not dressing their children warmly enough, passersby snapping at dog walkers for yanking to hard on the leash); they argue like deranged four-year-olds over disputed parking spaces; they zip out dazzling one-liners as a matter of course.”
This book is just 304 pages long but there is a lot going on in it and it is set in the run up to and aftermath of the US election of 2000.
I’ll be reading more Paul Auster books and I’m now kicking myself for not borrowing Invisible from the library at the same time. I probably won’t see it on the shelves again for ages. It was the only other Auster book in the library, I think I’ll take a look in tomorrow and see if it’s still there.
Katrina,
I loved this post, especially how Auster’s description of
Brooklyn reminds you of Glasgow! Both originally working-class cities, isn’t that right? I have never spent more than a day in Brooklyn, though I have spent time in several Manhattan neighborhoods. Auster is an especially devoted Brooklynite.
I think you will find Invisible fascinating. I hope you have someone nearby to discuss it with, because it’s loaded with good discussion topics. Both my husband and I were rivetted by Invisible. And, best of all, it’s a fairly short read–but pithy!
Hope you are enjoying seasonable summer weather, but nothing too hot.
By the way, your good wishes for my job must have helped. I’m teaching a total of three classes this fall. Two college English and one business writing class for adults. Don’t worry, I’ll still make time to read!
Judith
Reader in the Wilderness
Judith, Although Glasgow has a reputation for being a hard and violent city, the people are really very warm and so friendly and I got that feeling about Brooklyn too. Edinburgh is the opposite cold and unfriendly. If we are going there for a day out we call it ‘capital punishment’!
This morning I managed to borrow Invisible from the library. Don’t know if Jack will be up for reading it as his book queue is enormous and he has one to review for an S.F. mag soon.
Our weather has been good until this evening when it started to rain, but that has saved me from having to hose the garden.
Great news about the classes. Jack is a chemistry teacher so we are looking forward to Friday which is the end of term. We have no definite plans apart from pointing the car in a southerly direction sometime and the west of course!