As Paul Auster releases his new novel Sunset Park, Goodreads has published a rare interview with the American author.
Auster says his latest book looks at the economic and social issues faced by a post-GFC America as it looks at repossessing homes. “It’s astounding how many people have lost places to live in recent years, Auster says. "It’s an enormous social problem, confronted in my book by these young people who simply don’t have enough money to live…”
He uses his characters to critique America’s expensive tertiary education system which rather than giving people an early start in life is disadvantaging them. As Auster explains it “The thing that is so tragic about America today is that young people who go to college, unless they’re from extremely wealthy families, have to take out student loans. The great tragedy, therefore, is that young people who have been very educated start out life in debt. People in debt tend to be frightened people.”