Dog's Life

[dotinthesky]

Paul Auster, Timbuktu, 1998
This is a really disappointing novel.  It starts off well enough, with its road movie type story told through the eyes of a dog, Mr Bones, who faithfully follows around schizophrenic poet Willie.  They are in Baltimore searching for Willie's English teacher, the only person to ever believe in his writing talents when he was young.  Willie seems to be based on the artist Henry Darger, but that connection is never fully explored.  Mr Bones learned language but can't speak, thanks to the limitations of being a dog.  Mr Bones uses this skill to tell his story like a rambling Beat poet (perhaps from growing up with Willie), but he doesn't have the amphetamine to inject his adventures with excitement or the brains to see beyond the sidewalks and suburbs he ends up in.  Mr Bones can tell, but he can't show.  Mr Bones can name, but he can't describe.  Very quickly this short novel loses its point and, sadly, the reader's attention.  There's nothing to be learned from it, no memorable characters.  A big, ol' "what's the point?"

I'm willing to give Auster another try since this is the first thing I've read by him.  Recommendations welcome!

Comments

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I liked it (http://peteyoung.livejournal.com/524479.html), although sure, it's probably not representational of his better known stuff. (I much preferred Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain (http://peteyoung.livejournal.com/574407.html) which similarly takes a dog's point of view.)

I can cautiously recommend Man in the Dark (http://peteyoung.livejournal.com/522651.html), although at times it felt Auster was skimming the surface of what he was trying to get at.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I think your review points at what Auster wanted to accomplish... but I don't think he succeeded! He's not successful for example at completely separating Mr Auster from Mr Bones in the narrative sometimes.

I love the idea of a dog narrator because I love dogs, but ultimately there has to be a point to it. I just couldn't find it in this one.

I'll check out Man in the Dark. :-)