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4321 is quite a read. Auster's biggest, most ambitious novel to date, this semi-autobiographical tale follows the trials and growing pains of one Archie Ferguson as he lives, and loves, in and around New York through the turbulent decades of the 50s and 60s. Well, not one Archie Ferguson. Four.

What Auster pulls off here is a huge feat of imagination as he let's his protagonist grow into a young boy, who rather precociously, wonders if there other versions of himself exist for every decision he makes or does not make. And so the story branches off into four separate tales of “Archie Ferguson”, each version shaped by his decisions and environment and the events that happen because of those events and environments. One's father dies, the others are estranged; one's mother is a successful photographer, another has his mother remarry and give up photography. The supporting cast of characters, cousins, best friends, aunts and uncles, all collide and intertwine in different ways, each having their own effect on that particular Archie.

It's a huge novel with a huge heart, with less of the affected surrealism that sometimes makes Auster a bit heavy going. Instead 4321 is immensely readable, Archie is a mostly likeable protagonist, even when his stubbornness makes his motives a bit hard to swallow. We get to see him fall in love with different women (or men in one case), go to different colleges (or not go), to live in New York, or Paris, to fail, and succeed. But what all these Archies have in common is one all consuming need - to write; to make art out of words.

Each one has a different career in writing, each one struggles with his muse, plagued by doubts, helped by friends, lovers, relations. Poetry, prose and journalism all play a part here.

What we also get is a potted history of college protest at the height of the Viet Nam war at Columbia and Princeton. The galvanising effect that conflict had on a generation of young Americans gives a political edge to the stories, with Archie more of a witness than participant. It's great writing.

The end of each Archie is different, as they stumble into the dog days of the sixties. I won't spoil what happens to each. You'll have to read the book. And I really hope you do.

Recommended.