I’ve heard a lot about author Paul Auster, who is sometimes the toast of NPR and has also been behind one or two literate screenplays for movies I never got around to watching. But this is the first novel of his that I’ve read, and all in all, I was disappointed.

The first problem was Auster’s writing style. Auster doesn’t write in scenes or even snippets of action. Rather, he rambles on in description, forming gigantic paragraphs and incessant chapters (this 275-page book only had 5 chapters). The events of the story didn’t seem to move along so much as to be dragged, and the characters were not people we got to know, but rather people that someone else was telling us about, if you can grasp the distinction.

The second problem was of story. The book didn’t seem to have much of one, although it kept hinting at a dire, fated outcome, which kept me turning pages to look for it. All the build-up contributed to the final letdown, as well. By the end of the book, I wasn’t convinced that anything was motivating the characters. And I was disappointed, because I think Auster has the potential to be a great writer. He has a literate style and a knack for description. I just wish he could tell a better story.

I’m not sure about Leviathan. I keep picking it up and putting it back down after a few pages. It is well written but it just hasn’t managed to hold my attention (might be more to do with my current state of mind).