Moon Palace Moves Me! (Moon Palace - Paul Auster)

Member Name: cyberem78

Product:	Moon Palace - Paul Auster
Date:	11/10/08 (186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Intelligent, interesting, odd story.

Disadvantages: None.

One of my favourite movies of all time is 'The Music Of Chance' starring James Spader and Mandy Patinkin. It is based on the novel by Paul Auster, who also has a cameo role in the film. In the movie Mandy Patinkin's character can be seen passing time by reading Auster's novel 'Moon Palace' - which is why I got hold of a copy.

It was the first Auster novel I'd read. I had no idea what to expect really but I hoped it would deal with similar philosophies as dealt with in the movie I loved: the ideas of what fate and destiny is and where this leads you in life; the study of man's mind - his fears and hopes and how these manifest themselves in reality.

On first beginning to read the book, I thought the writing style was very straightforward, penned in the first person by the persona of a young man, Marco Stanley Fogg. The language is not poetic but is rather conversational: like listening to a (particularly intelligent and soul-searching) freind tell you what happened to them last night! It is not the strength of the language or the combination of words that is particularly appealing, it is the story itself and the viewpoint of our protagonist.

M.S's (as the hero is known by his rather unfortunate initials) existential crisis early on in the narrative is brilliantly portrayed. He confesses how his body is bogged down with apathy while his mind bursting with a stream of consciousness: "clusters of wild associations" he says, the power of which, he is certain, will help him discover some "fundamental truth about the world". It is very easy to identify with M.S, as his concerns in life are uncommon - the battle between our spiritual self and the need to live, to satisfy our carnal flesh.

The idea of chance or fate is heavily invested in the plot. This assumes that the world of M.S is perhaps guided by some deity or magic force that sets things on their correct course. It is a beautiful idea and one which holds a lot of power here.

There are some wonderful mind-blowing sections in the novel. The part I recall most vividly is when M.S is asked by his employer (and long lost relative, we later discover) to blindfold himself, ride across the city in the subway, go to a museum, stand in front of a certain painting and take in everything he sees, then blindfold himself again and return home. The painting is that of a moon-drenched landscape and it is vividly described. It is a scene that has relevance much later on the narrative and is one that really stands out.

I was not dissapointed by this novel. There is a sense of relief at the conclusion of the plot, a sense that everything was meant to be. This is one of Auster's better novels as the characters are very likeable and complicated. There is, in the ideas that motivate the story, some strangeness and magic that deeply penetrates every one of Auster's novels and that gives the author his uniqueness, his trademark if you like. Read this and if you like it read the 'New York Trilogy' by the same author.

Summary: Novel which is one of Auster's best.