Here is the story of how I happened to read and re-read a circa 1,000 pages novel this autumn.
It all started with the commitment to read and form an independent opinion on Booker Shortlist 2017 prior to going to meet the authors (during Shortlist readings at Southbank) and therefore have a chance to guess the winner and bask in the glory of being right (I was not).
Anyway, upon discovering that one of the six shortlisted contenders is a book more than a 1,000 pages by Paul Aster titled “4 3 2 1” I have justly concluded that such a tome would be heavy to hold, and decided to outsmart whoever I though I was outsmarting by downloading the audiobook. With an added bonus of the author recording it himself.
I absolutely enjoyed listening, which happened for the first time in my life (I’m quite a visual person and to comprehend something only by listening requires an incredible amount of mental effort from me). However, somewhere at about 3/4 of the book, as I was listening to Paul and washing the dishes – which is the perfect combination of dull physical and demanding mental activities – I realised that I was completely lost. Why was Ferguson with Amy? What happened to the father? Who the hell is Noah? *Shootmeface
I am not slow, at least most of the time (very slow when it comes to chess!). So let me explain. The structure of the book isn’t the straightforward chronological story. Rather it is build across four different realities of the main character’s (Archie Ferguson’s) lives. Despite sharing the events and family ties, from that moment of his birth they follow completely different but somewhat related paths. Real and, therefore, unchangeable political and social events are in the background. Absolutely different personal experience are on the main stage. A wonderful literary experiment.
By that time the book grew on me so much that I knew being lost won’t do, and I have to see it for myself. Read it properly the old-fashioned ink and paper way, no matter how it stretched my biceps! (For due to joys of motherhood I am limited to reading while holding books overhead, don’t laugh, it’s a real workout if you do it for a few hours!)
I went to the Booker readings (and absolutely loved them), got a copy, got it signed by Paul, shook his hand, and started right from the beginning. Again. So glad I did.
Why do you have to see this book, even though Paul Auster made a fabulous recording on Audible?
First of all, to appreciate the beauty of his sentences and paragraphs. There is so much detail: they are soaked through with specifics, subtleties, facts, and emotions, and yet so weightless. Creating a delightfully smooth flow, uninterrupted by cleverly worded gems that you glimpse through the water. It is a fresh take on what James Wood refers to as ‘thisness‘ in How Fiction Works.
Second, to take note. Literally. Grab a pen and paper, or go ahead and dog-ear your copy as you will receive indispensable literary advice and priceless education as you read. Starting from book and movie lists, and onto writing tips cloaked in fiction, but so easy to spot if you keep your eyes peeled for them. For in each of the described realities Ferguson (the main character) strives and tries to become a writer, only differing in subjects. Not only do you discover his tactics, routines and practicalities, but even peek into his actual creations in the form of poems, article bits or marvellous short stories (“Solemates” made me want to bang my head against the wall for being so inferior to a fictional character).
Finally, no matter how much training you have in following plots multiple TV series while waiting for new episodes (GoT fans, looking at you), you will need to flip back and forth to refresh your memory as a new chapter starts. Which brings me back to the structure and the name – you get Chapter 1.1 for Ferguson 1, Chapter 1.2 for Ferguson 2, etc. There are always about a hundred pages between where you left your respective Ferguson and where you pick him up. Actually, now that I think about it, a short re-cap in the best style of TV series or children’s novels could help. Just a thought for a re-print!
But get the beauty of this: as it is bound to happen, all Fergusons have different lengths of their lives. Once one of them dies you see Chapter so.so as blank page repeating until the end of the book. How. Elegant. Is. That.
In the fear of writing a review even longer than the book itself, I will round up my praises by briefly mentioning how remarkably Paul Auster has portrayed political reality of the mid-20th century (racism, identitialism and causing havoc in other countries is still very much applicable today), how exquisitely he illuminated Paris and even more so New York, how he even managed to get me interested in baseball!
Most importantly – how he didn’t let the reader down and finished with a beautiful, polished ending of the many-paged, parallel reality build-up in his novel.