Sunset Park
A Novel
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3.7 • 83 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Luminous, passionate, expansive, an emotional tour de force
Sunset Park follows the hopes and fears of a cast of unforgettable characters brought together by the mysterious Miles Heller during the dark months of the 2008 economic collapse.
An enigmatic young man employed as a trash-out worker in southern Florida obsessively photographing thousands of abandoned objects left behind by the evicted families.
A group of young people squatting in an apartment in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
The Hospital for Broken Things, which specializes in repairing the artifacts of a vanished world.
William Wyler's 1946 classic The Best Years of Our Lives.
A celebrated actress preparing to return to Broadway.
An independent publisher desperately trying to save his business and his marriage.
These are just some of the elements Auster magically weaves together in this immensely moving novel about contemporary America and its ghosts. Sunset Park is a surprising departure that confirms Paul Auster as one of our greatest living writers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Auster (Invisible) is in excellent form for this foray into the tarnished, conflicted soul of Brooklyn. New York native Miles Heller now cleans out foreclosed south Florida homes, but after falling in love with an underage girl and stirring the wrath of her older sister, he flees to Brooklyn and shacks up with a group of artists squatting in the borough's Sunset Park neighborhood. As Miles arrives at the squat, the narrative broadens to take in the lives of Miles's roommates among them Bing, "the champion of discontent," and Alice, a starving writer and the unlikely paths that lead them to their squat. Then there's the matter of Miles's estranged father, Morris, who, in trying to save both his marriage and the independent publishing outfit he runs, may find the opportunity to patch things up with Miles. The fractured narrative takes in an impressive swath of life and history Vietnam, baseball trivia, the WWII coming-home film The Best Years of Our Lives and even if a couple of the perspectives feel weak, Auster's newest is a gratifying departure from the postmodern trickery he's known for, one full of crisp turns of phrase and keen insights.
Customer Reviews
Sunset Park
Average Auster book....EAF
Sunset Park
Good, but not Auster's best. The slice-of-life motif wasn't enough to keep me engaged with the characters. Auster's work usually has a haunting quality that this book sorely lacked.
Auster delivers again
Paul Auster never fails to deliver an extremely well written book. His characters are so well developed that you really care and feel as tho you know them. I have read all of his books, and I never hesitate to purchase a new work of his. He is at the top of my list of favorite authors, and at times I believe he does not receive the recognition he so rightly deserves. I would not hesitate to buy this book and if you have not read any of his other works I suggest you check them out. This book kept me interested from the first page to the end. I would rather not give any of the plot away, but let you go on this journey yourself.
GP