Review by Amanda Hampson

Auster’s fifteenth novel is, according to the New York Times, the finest he has ever written. High praise for much-awarded author who has written some fine books, perhaps the best known of which are The Brooklyn Follies and The New York Trilogy. 

Invisible has four distinct parts. The first part sets up the story, which revolves around the relationship of the young aspiring poet, Adam Walker with the older, somewhat charismatic Frenchman, Rudolf Born, and his mysterious girlfriend Margot. The frisson between the three is further complicated when Adam has an intense affair with Margot while Born is away in France. Just as this scenario appears to be all but played out the story spins on its axis when Adam witnesses a violent crime that changes his perception of himself and ultimately the course of his life.

In part two, the manuscript of this story arrives in the hands of Jim, a former friend of Adam’s, with a request that he assist in its completion. Jim’s involvement takes on its own momentum as he does some sleuthing to find out the truth behind the story. The last part of the novel offers a completely new perspective from a third narrator who delivers one final twist.

Auster is the confident stylist performing technical acrobatics as he moves seamlessly across tenses, first, second and third person narrative and squeezes the juice out of the time, location, character and plot. Unputdownable.

Amanda Hampson is the author of The Olive Sisters and Two for the Road and also runs fiction and memoir writing workshops:www.thewriteworkshops.com.