First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

Six months after losing his wife and two young sons in an airplane crash, Vermont professor David Zimmer spends his waking hours in a blur of alcoholic grief and self-pity. Then, watching television one night, he stumbles upon a clip from a list film by the silent comedian Hector Mann, Zimmer’s interest is piqued, and he soon finds himself embarking on a journey around the world to study the works of this mysterious figure, who vanished from sight in 1929.

Who was Hector Mann? An Argentinian-born comic genius, with a signature white suit and fluttering black mustache, a master of “backpedals ad dodges. . . sudden torques and lunging pavanes. . . double takes and hop-steps and rhumba swivels.” Presumed dead for sixty years, he had flashed briefly across American movie screens, tantalizing the public with the promise of a brilliant future, and then, just as the silent era came to an end, he walked out of his house one January morning and was never heard from again.

Zimmer’s research leads him to write the first full-length study of Hector’s films. When the book is published the following year, a letter turns up in Zimmer’s mailbox bearing a return address from a small town in New Mexico – supposedly written by Hector’s wife. “Hector has read your book and would like to meet you. Are you interested in paying us a visit?” Is the letter a hoax, or is Hector Mann still alive? Torn between doubt and belief, Zimmer hesitates, until one night a strange woman appears on his doorstep and makes the decision for him, changing his life forever.

Written with breathtaking urgency and precision, this stunning novel plunges the reader into a universe in which the comic and the tragic, the real and the imagined, the violent and the tender dissolve into one another. With The Book of Illusion, one of America’s most powerful and original writers has written his richest, most emotionally charged work yet.

It’s the end of the workweek—yay! Finally, the weekend is here. I’m glad we were all able to survive another week. I hope everyone was able to finish the week on a high note. I hope you accomplished all your tasks, or at least made significant progress toward them. It’s now time to dress down and let your hair down—to dive into the weekend! I hope you get to spend it wisely, whether simply resting and taking a break, pursuing your passions, completing household chores or other chores you put on hold, or spending time with your family. The weather here in the Philippine capital remains a mix of hot and damp. The skies are often overcast during the day. Evenings are riddled with occasional drizzles. Still, keep safe, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

With the workweek coming to a close, it’s time for a fresh First Impression Friday update. Over the years, this blogging meme has become an essential part of my weekly book-blogging routine. It provides a great opportunity to take a reading breather while reflecting on my current read. These updates have also become springboards for my eventual book reviews. Currently, I’m using the remaining weeks of the year to complete the books I listed in my reading goals and challenges; this has somehow become a tradition. The remaining books in these challenges are part of American and African literature. My attention for the rest of the year is therefore on books written by writers from these regions. My current read, however, is not part of any of these reading challenges although, in a way, it does. Paul Auster’s The Book of Illusions is listed as one of the 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. It is my annual target to complete at least twenty books from this list.

Like most readers whose works I have been immersing myself in in the previous years, it was must-read lists that introduced me to the wonders of Paul Auster’s oeuvre. His book, The New York Trilogy, is a prominent presence in such lists. It would be his first work I read. Seven years later, I am reading my third novel by the highly heralded American writer. Originally published in 2002, The Book of Illusions is set in the late 1980s and is written from the perspective of David Zimmer. Zimmer is a university professor who recently lost his wife and two sons to an airplane crash. Following this tragedy, he fell into a state of depression, alcoholism, and isolation. The crux of the story was when, during one random afternoon, his interest was piqued by a silent comedy clip on television. It elicited a burst of laughter from Zimmer. Apart from the clip, the actor caught Zimmer’s attention. He was intrigued by the comedian who was able to break through his grief.

Zimmer would eventually learn the comedian’s identity. He is Hector Mann, an enigmatic figure who emanated from Latin America. His exact origins, however, remain uncertain. Mann gained distinction for his signature moustache and pristine white suit. However, in December 1928, he mysteriously vanished. Before vanishing, he created a dozen short films, which fortuitously have found homes in various film archives across America and Europe. With his growing interest, Zimmer embarked on a mission that eventually evolved into the first comprehensive analysis of Mann’s works. But that is not where the story ends. Shortly after the publication of the book in 1988, Zimmer received a letter that caught him by surprise. The letter was from Frieda, Hector’s wife, who claimed that Hector was still alive. She was inviting him to come and meet the vanished silent film-maker-cum-comedian. He initially dismissed it as a hoax. This was until he found a young woman named Alma waiting for him at his remote cabin.

Alma pleaded for Zimmer to travel to New Mexico to meet Hector. Zimmer initially resisted, but a comedic turn of events made him eventually agree. During their flight to New Mexico, Alma tells Zimmer the story of Mann’s life. This forms the novel’s second prominent narrative arc. Beyond the artist is a tumultuous life which involves womanizing and breaking other women’s heart. A series of love affairs didn’t end well, some ending in tragedy. The more that Zimmer immersed himself in the story of Mann, the more he got intrigued. I am about a hundred pages away from completing the book and there are still mysteries that are about to be solved. I can’t wait to see how Zimmer’s journey winds up. I am also interested to learn what happened to Mann. Containing similar elements with The New York Trilogy, The Book of Illusions is a compelling and intriguing read.

How about you, fellow reader? What book (or books) are you reading this weekend? I hope you’re enjoying your current read. Happy weekend!