The Invention of Solitude by Paul Auster

The book is all about solitude , invisible style of life, memory and its relationship with our relationships .If you are looking for  a light entertainment , this novel is not for you .But if you are ready to stretch your mind  a little , it will grow upon you .I liked the book .It has two parts .The first part is 'Portrait of an Invisible Man'.It is about the elusive  life of author's father ,and his feelings after the death of his father.The second part is 'The Book of Memory'.It is about the author and his relationship to his son .The first part is easy to understand and enjoy .The second part is more complex(complicated) , but once you begin to understand it , the rewards are higher .Obviously , the second part takes more time to read .The first part is 73 pages  while the second part is 112 pages long.

                                      Does this sound familiar? "Ït was never possible for him to be where he was.For as long as he lived , he was somewhere else, between here and there.But never really here.And never really there".The author looks at the old pictures left by his father and learns new things about him .And how he learns about the fact that his grandmother murdered his grand father and how and why .For his father , money was not an elixir but an antidote,the small vial of medicine you carry in your pocket when you go out into the jungle-just in case you are bitten by  a poisonous snake .

                                                   The book of memory starts with with a quote from The Adventures of Pinocchio by Collodi.Solitude is crushing .Solitude and memory are related.Only   in the darkness of solitude, the work of memory begins ..Solitude as sung by Billie Holiday:Ïn my solitude ,you haunt me/With reveries of days gone by/In my solitude , you taunt me?with memories , that never die . .. ".Depth of solitude is equally the depth of silence.Stillness of solitudes is almost heart breaking.The act of writing is an act of memory.The idea of  work gives  purpose to his life..He is fond of Anne Frank(Diary of a young  girl).
                                      Paul Auster writes from the depths of his heart and soul .I recommend you to read this novel.