Then Chapter 2.1 goes back to continue the tale of Archie number 1, Chapter 2.2 continues Archie number 2 and so on. Chapter 1.2 is the tale of Archie’s life continuing on a similar but different trajectory. So chapter 1.1 begins the tale of one version of Archie’s life. Instead of tracing one family through multiple generations from beginning to end, Auster limits his epic to about a 25-year period focusing on how the life of one boy could have gone four different ways. What happens next is where the epic begins. Thus Ferguson was born, and for several seconds after he emerged from his mother’s body, he was the youngest human being on the face of the earth. This first chapter ends with the birth of Archie and it gives the reader a hint of how Auster infuses Archie Ferguson’s story with a sense that in each human there is an inextricable connection between the mundane and the cosmic. The first chapter headed ‘1.0’ outlines Archie’s lineage and introduces us to his parents and grand parents, his uncles and aunt, and even his mother’s employer–all of whom will weave in and out of all four of the Archie story arcs in ways that are both familiar and surprising. This is a brilliant, enjoyable, touching, epic, coming of age story.Ĥ 3 2 1 takes a close look at one boy’s life told four different ways. All four Archie Fergusons start off with the same genetic material, but from there his life heads down four different paths. My thoughts AFTER reading 4 3 2 1 by Paul AusterĤ. I’ve not yet been able to get into his early work The New York Trilogy.Ĥ. In my experience Auster writes two general kinds of books, ones that are totally straightforward, readable narratives (e.g., Brooklyn Follies, Sunset Park), and ones that twist things a bit on their edge (e.g., Man in the Dark, Travels in the Scriptorium).ģ. Not because I know anything about it or the other long- and shortlisters, but because I’m still not used to the Booker being open to Americans.Ģ. I’m a little surprised this is on the Booker shortlist. My thoughts PRIOR to reading 4 3 2 1 by Paul Austerġ.

4321 paul auster review