Review: Man in the Dark

From the New Yorker: A car accident and the death of his wife have left the retired book critic, August Brill, a physcial and psiritual invalid. Virtually confined to his house with his recently divorced daughten and a twenty-three-year-old grandchild stricken with grief after the murder of her ex-boyfriend, Brill, an insomniac, attempts to stave off thoughts of death by telling himself bedtime stories. His tired mind weaves a tale that combines details of his life with more fantastic flights, such as the story of a man who, waking up in an alternate universe where 9/11 never happened and the 2000 election led to civil war, is sent on a mission to detroy the very person who has imagined him into existence.

I recently finished reading Paul Auster's latest book. I had read The New York Trilogy on vacation this summer, and the impression of the book was vividly in my mind for a long while after I had finished reading it. I was eager to read more by Auster and requested a copy of Man in the Dark from the local library.

Auster has a unique writing style that is difficult to explain. My experience with his work is that he writes of things that would never really happen but makes it so believeable. And, he has a true talent for helping you feel the emotions of the characters, even while they are in the midst of the unreal situation. Through Brill's bedtime stories and interactions with his granddaughter, the reader gains insight into his current existence and is encouraged to think beyond what is written on the page.

Although I liked The New York Trilogy better than Man in the Dark, I continue to want to read more by this creative author.