The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster

After losing his wife and two little sons in a plane crash, a university professor David Zimmer isolates himself from the world and falls into hard drinking. Ironically the death of the family makes him rich so he allows himself a break from teaching and spends days in his apartment. It drags on and on till the day he accidentally switches on his TV and bursts out laughing watching an old silent comedy starring a Hector Mann. Surprised by his own reaction David decides to learn more about Mann and his work. He finds out that Hector Mann mysteriously disappeared in the 1920s having left only some silent movies after him. David makes up his mind to watch them and write a book about them. This brings him to an unexpected discovery that Hector Mann who disappeared over 60 years ago is still alive. When a person experiences such misery and shock it is hard to find their own place in the world again. And though it sometimes seems that the story is over-dramatic especially at the end, there is certain appeal in all those endless losses and findings and yet again losses the protagonist goes through.

The book is full of sadness and the topic of death and futility is on the surface. Everything has its beginning and its end. One can fool time by writing a book or making a film but they will all come to an end as well, one day sooner or later. What is left? To live in the moment, maybe. To grasp what might be yours, to appreciate if what you have grasped is really that good and desirable. To remember that life goes on despite anything.