Strenuously playful fiction?

Mark Lawson of The Guardian provides a bleak review of Sunset Park by Paul Auster. He begins by pointing out that Auster's novels tend to use the same template- most of the characters, despite their occupation, are avid readers or novelists. Lawson finds it monotonous that Auster continuously combines the literary world and real world in his novels. In Lawson's opinion, the only authentic depiction of the economic crisis comes from Miles' father's publishing house.

Further, Lawson scrutinizes the connections Auster makes between characters. He provides an ambiguous analysis of the deaths of two different fathers' children, the two relationships with younger partners, and the two characters watching The Best Years of Our Lives. It is difficult to tell whether Lawson finds these crossovers pleasureful or painful.

As a final stab at Auster, Lawson praises him for his unfaltering control within his novels; however, he follows this up with more criticism of Auster's creativity by stating that his novels are "cold and distanced, almost as if they were a demonstrative exercise for a set of creative writing majors." Lawson argues that despite the fact that Auster creates differing characters, every chapter of the novel is told rhythmically with the same past-tense narration and little dialogue.

Though I have no experience with Auster's earlier novels, I find it difficult to agree with Lawson and other critics who complain that Auster's structure is monotonous and too straightforward for readers to develop their own ideas. The third-person narration in Sunset Park sets the tone for the novel. The scanty dialogue between characters creates a sense of tension that adds realism to the economic depression. Structuring the novel into sections for each character allows the reader to fully grasp the background of each character and develop their own opinions about the action currently taking place.

I hardly find it "painful" when noticing the connections between the various characters. Each action takes place independently and it is up to the reader to interpret the connection between the events. The reoccurance of death and The Best Years of Our Lives reminds me that each of the characters have a certain bond, despite the fact that Auster portrays them independently.

At least for Auster's current novel Sunset Park, I find the structure and point of view complementary to the tone and plot of the novel.