Paul Auster's "4, 3, 2, 1" Took FORrever to Finish and I Advise Thee TO Put it Aside

For readers with tenacity, THEE may find Paul Auster's "4, 3, 2, 1" TOO WONderful to put aside and find immense pleasure in the writing & storytelling that seems TO go on FORever in four different scenarios.  The clever, albeit not unique path not taken plot is too plodding. It needed condensing &  editing.  Archibald Ferguson born 3/07/1947 to Rose and Stanley Ferguson is an absorbing young boy who comes of age during the 60s; a very tumultuous epoch in US history.  Ferguson is born to the same mother & father in all 4 tangential lives possessing identical DNA.  His analytical & curious mind, along with his genuine kindness & creativity make for a very likable and intriguing character study; four times over.   There are people in Ferguson's lives who remain constant but in divergent relationships.  Auster is a masterful writer whose dense & complex writing is reminiscent of Ellison & Bellow.  All 3 are phenomenal writers, but I wouldn't choose to re-read their novels.  The awards bestowed Auster (b Amer 1947) include the PEN/Faulkner Award and "4, 3, 2, 1" was shortlisted (how ironic) for the Nat'l Book Award ('17).  In 2003 Auster was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Science.  Ferguson, in the same body lives four different lives; each with their own unique set of circumstances.  Note:  Auster was born in 1947 in Philadelphia and chose a writing career.   Being a writer is a common thread besides the DNA strand for the 4 Fergusons.  The unflappable Ferguson only seemed to take great umbrage when his writing was edited.  (This would appear to be the case with Auster's writings.)  Nonetheless, the novel is a profound & penetrating examination of a decade dense with conflict; the war in Vietnam, the civil rights movement, the growth of the counterculture, revolutionary developments in art, music, literature and film.  The decade is embodied by prominent figures and horrendous atrocities & assassinations; violent & deadly protests, Malcolm X, George Wallace, MLK, JFK, RFK, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin.  I fault Ferguson for reiterating his many literary and legendary heroes (il est troh).  The brilliance of the book lay in part to the parallel conundrums, fraught histories filled with opportunities and perils, with great beauty and the worst of humanity.   But then, who in their right mind would contend life made sense?  I admire Auster's writing and myself for finishing this marathon manuscript.  His skill at storytelling & effusive historical reporting makes this a novel that is likely to become required reading in literary courses.  But if not required, think twice beFORE beginning.  The novel's narrator notes "the book was about the passions and contradictions of the human soul."  Auster is quoted "Everything can change at any moment, suddenly and forever".