A Charming Start To The Book With 1000 Pages

“The imaginary lives we hold in our minds that run parallel to our actual existence”

Dear Viv,

The above line from Paul Auster’s book forced me to take a break from my actual existence and revel in the imaginary one where I’m all alone, with this same book on my lap as I contemplate my actual existence and its sufferings.

What a wasted loop!

I was in a hospital, moved to room number 518 the previous night when I impulsively picked this thick book.

That would be my third ongoing read, and could threaten the continuation of the two current reads.

And as usual, I started with the page of Praises..

“involving four alternate lives” — that’s interesting.

“growing up in decades following World War 2” — oh, I already like it.

“Buildungsroman and kunstlerroman”— what are these words? I shall soon figure.

And chapter 1.0? That’s new too.

The Family Tree

When Ferguson’s grandfather moves from Minsk to the US, a kind fellow suggests him to rename himself from Reznikoff to Rockefeller.

When asked for his name at immigration office, the poor grandfather mumbles, “Ikh hob fargassen” which is Yiddish for “I have forgotten”.

And that was how he and his family get the name of Fergusons.

As most silly men do in their twenties, Grandfather too gets married, to Fanny, and introduces Lews, Arnold and Stanley to the world.

The rumor goes that there was a fourth child, a girl, who was sadly drowned by the mother so that the other three children didn’t starve.

Let’s give Grandfather some rest and sit with Stanley now, Ferguson’s father. This is going to be interesting.

The adorable love story

“Stanley met the twenty-one-year-old Rose Adler on a blind date. So pretty she was, so fetching with her gray-green eyes and long brown hair, so deliciously put together, that Stanley who had never once been burned by the fires of love, felt himself disintegrating in Rose’s presence”.

Well, that was something!

“According to what had been passed down to Rose, her parents met at a Sunday picnic”

So we started with how Ferguson’s grandfather married Fanny. We then moved to how Ferguson’s father had been smitten by Rose. And now we are treading onto Rose’s father’s side of “How I met your mother?”

That’s some detail, isn’t it, Viv?

Inspiration from the book

I do like Rose’s father by the way and here is why.

“he gave up on the job within two weeks, knowing that destiny had not meant for him to squander his short time on earth selling men’s socks and underwear”

That was so relatable.

Oh, don’t give me that look now.

I sell no men’s socks or whatever. But I do feel the same about squandering my time on earth doing what I do at work.

Can I quit my job too, Viv?

I will have at least a few missed calls for even thinking about it.

Stop at Page 9

And then the reading cart came to a sudden halt on page 9 as I ran down to collect food.

And this is where letter 83 ends Dear Viv, with another 1000 pages of this book, left to be covered.

Take care, my friend.

To,
Viv,
The Perch
From Bookshop’s and Bonedust

P.S. — I figured what the word “Buildungsroman” means. And I am not telling you! Take care.