In the Country of Last Things

Paul Auster presents us with yet another must-read. This novella takes place in an unnamed city that has suffered complete ruin. There is no consistent government to speak of and anarchy rules supreme. But, the fascinating premise is that this is not a world problem, this is a city problem. It is a land cutoff from the world, and the world seems to have forgotten about it. Sound familiar? (Keep in mind this book was first published in 1987.) However, newspapers are still trying to get the scoop on what's going on, and so reporters are occasionally sent in, though most never return. One such reporter who never returned left behind a younger sister who has traveled to the country of last things in order to find him. From a privileged family, it takes her a surprisingly short amount of time to adapt to the horrific conditions under which she must survive. She is primarily the narrator of her story, and we follow her as she experiences tragedy, death, suffering, but also, as impossible as it may seem, love and hope. I've heard this book is about everything that can go wrong in a society and how it can leave the reader with a sense of despondency; however, I found the book to be a testament to the power of hope and love. To touch upon Auster's style: I've read many of Auster's books, and while he explores similar themes, I've never read two books that were written in the same manner. Auster gives us something fresh and artistically progressive with each book he writes. In the Country of Last Things is virtually a how-to for any budding writer as it uses sparse detail and very limited dialogue to completely drive home the potency of the theme. I've yet to read a book I did not like from Paul Auster, and In the Country of Last Things is certainly no exception. ~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant

Lei este libro en tan solo un dia, no puede dejarlo desde que empece. Cuanta la historia de Ana que va en busca de su hermano William a un lejano pais (Probablemente un pais africano)debastado por la ignoracia de sus gobernantes (Venezuela va en esa direccion).Las dificultades que tiene Ana para adaptarce a su nuevo entorno son facinantes y reales, sobre todo lo que hace por sobrevivir y no perder la fe de encontrar a su hermano, ademas de tener otro final triste de los que tanto le gustan a Auster.

I'm a great fan of Paul Auster and read this book in two sittings over the weekend (Fri/Sat here in Israel). At a crossroads in the book I took a nap and dreamed of all the possible resolutions of that particular chapter. When I awoke and continued I found that Auster resolved the situation in a totally unexpected way. He always surprises the reader.Wonderful from many viewpoints: existential, post-holocaust, futuristic. I also think that his spare writing style was very capable indeed of painting a visual and emotional landscape.

I am a fanatic of Paul Auster. I've read many of his books but this was a little different from other books for me. It was very strong. I can say it caught me since the biginning. Once I started reading it, I could not stop reading it and thinking what was gonna happen to Anna. Actually I felt I heard her voice in my head. Her life seemed horrible, hopeless,and disgusting. She sometimes complained and became negligence but, I think, she never gave up living. That's why she survived till the end of the story and she might get out of the country. I have to admit I felt like vomiting a few part of the story but I was really impressed by her eagerness to live.

The point of this book is the disintegration of society as we know it. There has not been a nuclear holocaust or anything of the sort; society is just collapsing in on itself as it can no longer sustain the pressures of population, economic crisis and factionalism. Now the safety nets that once existed are gone and mankind has run amok in this city highly reminiscent of NYC.Auster has taken the everyday features of our society (e.g.runners)and extrapolated each to the extreme as only he can do. This is our world falling apart when civility becomes the exception rather than the norm.I highly recommend this book to anyone who isn't afraid to look down"the rabbit hole" or enjoys futuristic novels.An overlooked book.