THE BOOK OF ILLUSIONS

Oh, what a tangled web Paul Auster weaves in this mesmerizing tale of death and resurrection and love. Professor David Zimmer is drinking himself to death over the death of his family in a plane crash when one night he sees a clip from a film by the silent comedian Hector Mann. Mann vanished in 1929, but his films have begun to reappear anonymously in film archives around the world. Zimmer embarks on a journey to study the films, and thus begins a story within a mystery within a fable. Paul Auster's narration of his own book, which is mostly told in the first person, is a part of the story's fascination. In his baritone with a hint of a minor key, he reads skillfully, using pauses and intonation to good effect--and his diction is perfect. To press the play button is to succumb. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB / MAR 03]