C.'s review
Leviathan (Contemporary American Fiction) by Paul Auster
A story of New York literati best friends in the 1970s and '80s. Books are written, marriages fall apart and one guy kinda loses his shit. The other guy eulogizes him, a la Steinbeck's story of Ed Ricketts in the extended intro to "The Log of The Sea of Cortez."
My mp3 player is broken, but I didn't care because I had this book to keep me company on the train. I even held off dinner to read the last twenty-five pages of these beautiful, meticulous words.
So why the paltry three stars? Auster relies too much on strange coincidence to imply fate or cosmic connection. About two-thirds of the way through, I just stopped believing the story when a rapid succession of events cause this literary Fonzie to jump that proverbial shark.
Step into my office, Mr. Auster, and I'll tell you a thing or two about how much their readers are willing to suspend their disbelief.
My mp3 player is broken, but I didn't care because I had this book to keep me company on the train. I even held off dinner to read the last twenty-five pages of these beautiful, meticulous words.
So why the paltry three stars? Auster relies too much on strange coincidence to imply fate or cosmic connection. About two-thirds of the way through, I just stopped believing the story when a rapid succession of events cause this literary Fonzie to jump that proverbial shark.
Step into my office, Mr. Auster, and I'll tell you a thing or two about how much their readers are willing to suspend their disbelief.
