If you like puzzles or riddles with no clear answers, you might just enjoy this.

I picked it, in an effort to follow up on my decision to read more of the “classics”. The premise sounded original & intriguing (fact which, I feel, made my eventual disappointment even more bitter. High expectations an’all…)

Now, I am not one to easily dislike a book but I can, honestly, say I hated this 😦 I slogged through the stories, feeling like I was having my teeth pulled and desperately trying not to give up. In fact, had this book not been part of my blog TBR challenge, I would have definitely spared myself the pain.

I remember reading a review that said “Somewhere along the way Paul Auster was decreed a “literary author,” so if you dare to say he’s boring, pretentious, and not really all that good with words, you are simply one of the great unwashed who don’t get it.” I am willing to take my chances…

The three, separate narratives are supposed to be interconnected -with the final story sheding light on the first two. There’s even a bunch of cross-references throughout which however, sadly, made absolutely no sense to me – much like the rest of the book. Despite Auster’s confident & highly stylized writing (or maybe because of it), it all felt like self-important, non-sensical, pointless drivel to me. And if that makes me one of the “great unwashed”, then so be it 🙄

Overall verdict on Mr. Auster’s effort: NOT recommended ~ proceed with caution and at own risk…

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