written by nomadgirl on 20/04/2004
Paul Auster is 'one of the boldest, most original writers at work in America today.'So reads the blurb on the inside cover of Oracle Night. This is not fiction for the uninitiated. I speak from experience. Within minutes I was in the grip of something akin to a caffeine buzz and spent the night captivated, almost clawing to turn the pages.
With more layers than a mille-feuilles, the superbly crafted narrative is only part of the reader's experience as he becomes aware of being engaged not only with the story but with the writing which draws attention to itself as he becomes involved in the very creation of a sophisticated and intricate novel.
Oracle Night is Paul Auster's eleventh novel and, like his previous work, The Book of Illusions, deals with the theme of recovery, the ability to rebuild our lives after almost irreparable damage. In The Book of Illusions the narrator, Zimmer, has 'lived for several months in a blur of alcohol, grief and self-pity' after losing his family in a plane crash. Sidney Orr, the narrator of Oracle Night, is recovering from a serious illness and sees himself as 'a mass of malfunctioning parts and neurological conundrums'. Both are motivated by the thought that looking forward is the only possible means of survival. 'What choice did I have but to live as if a future life were waiting for me?' pleads Orr as the novel opens.
The action is generated by Orr's purchase of a blue notebook which, over a period of nine days, undermines the stability of his everyday life and causes him to reappraise his very existence. Sounds mysterious? Not at all. Auster's characters are alive and kicking, involved in the mundane and the eccentric. We do not expect the proprietor of the lowly Paper Palace, who sold the notebook to Orr, to attack him the next time they meet. We are amazed when Ed the ex- taxi-driver hires Nick Bowen as his assistant and takes him to his future place of employment - an underground cabin below some disused railway tracks. This combination of the unremarkable and the bizarre has us by the throat.
The author's presence is strongly evident in this book. Sidney Orr, like Auster himself, is a writer living in Brooklyn. John Trause, a family friend, is the same age as Auster and his surname is an anagram of the author's.
It can be difficult to appreciate that the action takes place within such a short period, and Auster's use of lengthy footnotes can be distracting, but it is the combination of consummate crafting and existential subject matter which makes this meta-fictitious novel so readable. Auster imbues his characters with a reality so believable that the reader does not become bogged down in their dilemmas but is led on towards a 'nouvelle r gime' in the same way as they are.
Oracle Night is Chanel No.5 rather than Boots No.7. A novel for the aware and discerning reader.
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