The Brookly Follies - Paul Auster

My first Auster, The New York Trilogy, was characterised by flinty intelligence and a darkly brilliant precision of language. By contrast this much later work is a warm plea for compassion and understanding in the face of human failings.

Set largely in New York - significantly, before the devastation of 9/11 - the plot and characters ramble along in a manner that initially appears aimless but mask a surprisingly complex structure. There are some neat observations, lots of good gags and, surprisingly for this author, a broadly optimistic outlook.