Abstract
What we have here is an extract from the novel The Brooklyn Follies, written by Paul Auster and published in 2005. Earlier in the novel, we discovered the main character, Nathan Glass, a sixty year old man in remission from cancer. He was looking for a quiet place to die. However, after a moment he changed his mind and started thinking in a more optimistic way. He met his nephew Tom in Harry Brightma's bookstore. This extract is situated in the 2nd half of the novel. It introduces a new character: Stanley Chowder is considered as a helper, and we will see why later. The characters involved are Nathan, Tom, Lucy (who is Tom's niece) and Stanley Chowder. Lucy is a strange kid. She showed up at Nathan's door so that he could take care of her because her mother, Aurora, is locked up somewhere in Carolina with her husband David Minor who has been active in a sect.
