For me, MOON PALACE certainly isn't Auster's best, but is still a great piece of literature by anyone's standards. Marco Stanley Fogg leaves his uncle's home for university in New York. Eventually, his uncle dies and his money- and luck- run out. Nevertheless, his friends don't forget him, and rescue him from a life on benches in Central Park. But events begin to overtake him... he lands a job caring for an eccentric old man, Effing. He indulges him in his whims, which will eventually lead Marco to discover more about his own past than he expects.Though I prefer Auster's more 'metaphysical' works like NEW YORK TRILOGY, this still ranks alongside his other great novels like ORACLE NIGHT and LEVIATHAN, although I found it took me about 50-60 pages to actually get into it. Still a great yarn.