Short and Bitter-sweet Little Mystery (Travels in the Scriptorium - Paul Auster)

Member Name: mcader

Product:	Travels in the Scriptorium - Paul Auster
Date:	22/04/09 (43 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Makes you go outside to breathe

Disadvantages: Mysteries, mysteries

The scenario is set in a room, with Mr Blank who has limited memory, and everything in the room is labelled.
Thus the mystery unfolds......

Just a nice, clever little read to tickle your brain. Thankfully, it's short and sweet and leaves you pondering darkly on its crafted, open-ended mystery at its centre(s).

It's not often that you get the chance to read such a book. You'll find out at the end, so I can't give much away, but just urge you to pick it up. I'd not read any previous Paul Auster books, so have no previous references. Apparently some of the characters feature in his other books.

It's a bit similar to 'The Dumb Waiter' in its reflections on the human spirit, where characters are confined. But this is no theatre or 'Waiting for Godot', but a well-conceived taut little novel, about control, being controlled etc....Also, the implications of writing - the power of writing - feature here, in a sort of sub-plot.

It's a bit of a long, short story like Stephen King's Shawshank Redemption (where the short story is just as good as the film).

Nothing truly deep, but top quality writing, for the little mystery that is life.

Summary: Very clever and likes being clever 'world within world'