Leviathan, by Paul Auster: ***

I liked this a lot, despite some strange coincidences that occasionally seemed forced into the plot by the author. It moves extremely quickly, and raises some interesting questions about how to enjoy life, especially whether happiness is achieved by following ones dreams or living according to society's rules. It has a narrative structure that I like, in which the narrator is an important character in the story, but in large part the story is about a friend, and specifically the contrast between their lives. His friend is an amazing and charismatic man who follows a strange path with his life, and we read of it through the eyes of a sometime dreamer, generally pragmatic, somewhat happy guy. Along the way, our narrator meets several other very interesting people, notably a performance artist that really fascinated me. I wanted to experience a lot of what went on in this book, and really that was its success. Because I too feel like a dreamer, caught between my pragmatic and devilish sides. I know I'm more like the main character, but I want to be more like his friend. While flawed, this book introduces some fascinating characters and raises important questions.
(summer 1999)

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