Written in 2005, by Paul Auster a
prolific American writer, The Brooklyn Follies is the story of Nathan
Glass, a sixty year old retired life insurance salesman, estranged
from his family and facing a lung cancer. Starting with a main
character looking for a quiet place to die, the story evolves in a
neighbourhood brimming with great characters. The main character, will
Nathan, runs into his nephew Tom, a
grad student, who has become a cab driver. They both share their
misfortunes, while waiting for meaning to return to their lives.
And then it does, in the form of Tom's
nine year old niece: Lucy, walking through his front door. Tom has to
deal with the little girl, who refuses to speak, and his boss Harry, a
flamboyant book dealer trying to sell a fraudulent manuscript of The
Scarlett Letter. In the meantime, Nathan tries to find Lucy's
troubled mother Aurora, who has disappeared. Unravelling the mysteries around her disappearance, the characters find themselves with a purpose and become actors in their own lives.
The characters try to reconcile with
their past, while building a future they thought was lost, as the story progresses towards an unexpected ending.
Instead of dying, Nathan finds new meaning to his life. The book presents Brooklyn as a place where the characters are reborn. The result, is an affectionate portrait
of the city as the ultimate refuge of human spirit.