The Invention of Solitude

'One day there is life.and then, suddenly, it happens there is death.' So begins The Invention of Solitude, Paul Auster's moving and personal meditation on fatherhood. The first section, 'Portrait of an Invisible Man', reveals Auster's memories and feelings after the death of his father. In 'The Book of Memory' the perspective shifts to Auster's role as a father. The narrator, 'A', contemplates his separation from his son, his dying grandfather and the solitary nature of story-telling and writing. 'Integrates heart and intellect, sensation and speculation.as it relentlessly tries to make sense of the shocks of living.' Newsday