BookLens — See inside before you read

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What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.

Violence

Some

Some violence connected to the historical setting and personal conflicts across the four lives

Language

Some

Some strong language in the adult literary fiction register

Sexual Content

Some

Adult romantic and sexual content handled with literary restraint across multiple storylines

Substance Use

Some

Moderate alcohol and some drug use in the 1960s setting

Emotional Intensity

Some

The philosophical weight of what might have been — four versions of the same person — creates a sustained existential undertow

What this book is about

Paul Auster's final major novel follows Archie Ferguson through four simultaneous parallel lives, each diverging from the same birth based on different circumstances. The novel traces each version of Ferguson through the 1950s, 60s, and 70s — the same historical backdrop, but profoundly different personal outcomes. At nearly 900 pages, it is Auster's most ambitious work, exploring Jewish-American identity, the 1960s, baseball, literature, and the nature of contingency. Adult content is present throughout, consistent with the literary fiction register.