'A masterpiece.' Daily Mail
'Absorbing and immersive . . . the author's greatest novel.' FT
SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2017

On March 3rd, 1947, Archibald Isaac Ferguson, the only child of Rose and Stanley Ferguson, is born. From that single beginning, Ferguson's life will take four simultaneous but entirely different paths. Family fortunes diverge. Loves and friendships and passions contrast. Each version of Ferguson's story rushes across the fractured terrain of mid-twentieth century America, in this sweeping story of birthright and possibility, of love and the fullness of life itself.

'Remarkable . . . A novel that contains multitudes.' New York Times

'A vast portrait of the turbulent mid-20th century . . . wonderfully, vividly conveyed.' New Statesman

Our Booksellers Say...

"A rich and unforgettable literary experience: one that captures one individual's life from a 'sliding doors' perspective times four and how, amidst it all, said life is rooted in familial love and history. Rooted, but blowing in the wind; complex and determined in its causality, set by Auster's masterful hand.

Intrigued, but filled with dread about the page count? Dear Reader – cast your unwarranted fears aside, because by the end you will be truly sorry to part ways with our Archie."

Mirjam, Blackwell's Online Bookseller

View all of Mirjam's recommendations