This is actually the first Auster book I have read, and maybe I should have started somewhere else. Auster writes well and creates a couple of interesting characters, but he doesn't really get close to them, not even the main man, Adam. The time lines are well constructed, with a good combination of past and present tangled together.

The book certainly annoyed me, which is a good thing, but after a while I realised what really got on my nerves was that the author didn't really seem to care too much about anything, and haphazardly skipped from one life changing moment to another.

Maybe it is just a way of saying "listen, young folks, nothing matters in the end", but it seems Auster at this attempt was too carried away with an idea of a meta novel which may be of interest for literary students and Auster's inner circle, but not the average guy in the street. But who thinks Auster writes for them anyway?

There is some good moments, notably towards the end when the whole story suddenly is put into a different light, but in the end it seems the author does this tricks just to show off that he is a master of the art of novel writing. And the diary section he tries to create is quite simply a poor finish with little or no nerve whatsoever.

If it wasn't for the fact that the book actually sparked a reaction in me, I would have given this book a "2 - poor" rating. But he gets a plus for annoying me.