What is the book about?
David Zimmer loses his entire family in a plane crash and wants to put an end to his life. He is “saved” by a silent comedy which re-instills in him the will to live. He decides to write a book on the star of the film, Hector Mann, a silent comedian who made a dozen films and disappeared without a trace in 1929. His obsession with Mann grows as his writing progresses. After the book sees its publication and Zimmer is known for his in-depth research on Mann’s life, he receives a private invitation to visit Mann in New Mexico. It is there that he learns the truth behind Mann’s staged disappearance, and the string of tragedies that has made up Mann’s life.
Why this book?
Because, to me, it is the definitive Paul Auster work. Most of his devoted fans will point to the “The New York Trilogy,” but for me “TBOI” is up close and personal, and it draws you in like a meticulously paced film noir. Auster is always about the dark side of the moon, and this one is no different. It deals with typical Auster themes such as alienation, isolation, grief, and the prospect of death, but “TBOI” adds another dimension to them. It tackles the ultimate philosophical conundrum: “If life is a series of mishaps and tragedies, why do we bother living it?” The protagonist Zimmer loses his will to live after the destruction of his family, but finds it again in Mann, who, ironically, had lost his will to live back in the day when movies were still silent. Mann’s struggle to exorcise his demons is affectingly portrayed, and the reader gets to see for himself how the utter randomness of the universe can wreck a man’s life and damn him beyond hope of grace, regardless of his intentions and beliefs. The suggestion that we live in a chaotic, godless, indifferent universe is, though disconcerting, something we need to be cognizant of.
What will I walk away with when I am done with the book?
You will not be too complacent. The book’s “message” is such that life is ruled by the principle of randomness. At no point in your life are you completely in control of what is going to happen. It is only an illusion that you are. But does that mean we simply give up living? The book says no. It may be a life-long battle we will all end up losing, but it is our destiny to fight it to our last breath.
What would be a good book to read after this?
Anything by French philosopher/novelist/Nobel Prize-winner Albert Camus. “The Myth of Sisyphus” would be a good place to start.
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