Description

Paul Auster’s 4 3 2 1 follows four possible lives of Archibald Isaac Ferguson. He is born nearly two weeks early on March 3, 1947. His birthplace is Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey. From that shared start, four versions of the same boy take separate paths. Each has the same genes, but chance and events shape different lives.

This coming-of-age novel links private life with American history. Its setting spans the 1950s and 1960s. The Cold War, moon landing and Vietnam War form part of its world. So do the deaths of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Civil rights struggles and student protests also shape Ferguson’s youth. His interests range from books and films to sport, politics and sex. A childhood brush with death shows how fragile any life can be.

Auster draws on parts of his own life. He asks how our traits, other people and shared events shape us. The four stories explore youth, desire, frustration and paths not taken. They also express his bond with books, art and creative work. His prose draws comparisons with Borges and Dickens.

Readers can follow the chapters in order or trace each life separately. The structure suits those drawn to stories about chance and identity. The novel was a finalist for the 2017 Man Booker Prize.