Joyful tears.

I’ve just read a magnificent novel. By Paul Auster. Titled, ‘Timbuktu.’ Auster is brilliant. His imagination knows no bounds. He takes a homeless man. And his companion, a pet dog. They bond. The man is the teller of the story. For the first half of the novel. Until he dies. Then the dog becomes the protagonist. It’s the dog’s story. Auster dares to get inside the dog’s mind. As if the dog understands what’s going on. Looking at life from a thinking dog’s perspective. By the way, Timbuktu isn’t the dog’s name. Turns out that Timbuktu is the homeless man’s name for the spirit world.  For heaven. For Valhalla. For paradise. In the end, the dog commits suicide. So he can be in Timbuktu.  Brought tears to my eyes. Joyful tears. For being lured into this wonderful tale.  –Jim Broede