#12 Man in the Dark, by Paul Auster (Faber and Faber Limited)

I’m always keen to receive recommendations, and I must admit I have never heard of Paul Auster until he was mentioned to me as an author I might like. And I did. Very much.

The shortest – and most interesting – book I’ve read so far this year, Man in the Dark is the story of an aging journalist and insomniac who reflects on his life and the lives of his daughter and grand-daughter, all of whom have suffered some tragic loss.

So far, so simple. Yet into this Auster and his journalist introduce a degree of existentialism by, during his frequent sleepless nights, creating a world in which a number of American states have ceded from the US government and are fighting a civil war which can apparently only be ended by an assassination of the person at the root of the entire conflict – himself (in the other world).

The beauty of the book lies in how the two worlds interact and how the journalist analyses his motives and his contradictory actions in light of his life, achievements and family. It’s a tale of America at war with itself - with the war against Iraq never too far away given the impact it’s had on his own kin - and sweeping ideas are investigated and given room to breathe even as the writing remains simple and easy to read.

Less than 200 pages, the most impressive thing about Man in the Dark is its effortless way is making the reader consider such grand themes with such conciseness and without distracting from an absorbing story. I shall be reading more Auster.

So, rating time:

#12 Man in the Dark, by Paul Auster (Faber and Faber Limited) - 8/10

Next up: No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy (Picador)

Click here for the full list of books so far, and their rating