by PAUL AUSTER
'If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it fall, does it make a sound or not?'
Ever the philosopher, Paul Auster and his novel 'Moon Palace' made me fall in love with novel reading full stop. His exquisite way of telling a story held me spellbound and entranced and the masterful resolve to 'Moon Palace' profoundly moved me and made me thirsty for anything else Paul had ever written.
'The Book Of Illusions' is his latest epic work (published in 2002) and is the bizarrely endearing story of a man called David Zimmer who is trying to overcome the tragic deaths of his wife and kids in a plane crash. Amidst his grieving, he finds it difficult to function, but then a silent short film that he sees starring a largely unknown actor called Hector Mann has such an impact on him that it actually makes him smile. To see through his grief, David resolves to track down and watch all the silent movies that Hector made and write a book about both the man and his comedy shorts, so-to-speak. David becomes fantastically intrigued by Hector upon learning that he allegedly disappeared off the face of the earth one day back in 1929, but - yet more intriguingly - a seemingly psychopathic woman called Alma comes forward after reading David's book and readily tries to convince David that the actor he has so come to idolize is still alive, and she knows where. And, unbelievably, Hector wants to meet David in person�
As evidenced in 'Moon Palace,' the author Auster is fascinated by the concept of chance and weaves plenty of coincidental twists and turns into his work. Stories within the main story also seem to be a common, which is an intoxicatingly challenging facet to his work too. Hell, David Zimmer even winds up falling in love with Alma� with obsession rife in so many respects, for both Hector - the actor - and Alma, his new-found soul-mate and saviour.
Throughout, the prose are exquisite and though 'The Book Of Illusions' is a hefty read, it is never a bind - only a joy. Paul wraps up his stories with a neat poignant touch without too much sentimentality to overshadow the impact, and just like the character that he's created in David Zimmer and the obsession with another man's work that drove such a character on through his own life, I'm becoming so involved with Paul Auster's work that, one day, I might be tempted to do the same� having read all his books and owing it to world to shout-from-high about the Brooklyn-based writer Paul Auster, who genuinely mines a muse like no other.
(Steve Rudd)
ISBN 0-571-21213-1 (FABER & FABER; 2002)
www.paulauster.co.uk