“The past is a country we can never return to. But it is also a country that never entirely leaves us.”
— Bing Nathan reflecting on his past life and relationships.
Archivist's Choice
Sunset Park
Paul Auster (1900)
Genre
Literary Fiction
Reading Time
300 min
Key Themes
See below
Track Your Reading
Sign in to track this book
After the 2008 economic collapse, a young man's photographs of abandoned items connect squatters, artists, and dreamers in Brooklyn, all dealing with their pasts and an uncertain future in a broken America.
Synopsis
Miles Heller, a young man with a troubled past, works as a 'trash-out' laborer in Florida, photographing what people leave behind in foreclosed homes. He is separated from his family after a traumatic event with his stepbrother. When his 17-year-old girlfriend, Pilar, reveals her age, and her family threatens legal action, Miles goes to Brooklyn. He finds a home in Sunset Park, sharing an old house with young squatters: Ellen, a PhD student; Bing, a musician and the house's leader; and Alice, an artist. Miles's presence brings their different lives together, forming a fragile group. Meanwhile, Miles's parents, his father Morris (a struggling publisher) and his mother Mary-Lee (a famous actress considering a Broadway return), deal with their own problems, all while wanting their son to come home. The novel looks at abandonment, guilt, redemption, and the search for belonging during the 2008 financial crisis, ending with Miles confronting his past and an uncertain future for everyone.
Reading time
300 min
Difficulty
Medium
Pacing
Moderate
Mood
Melancholy, Reflective, Intimate, Hopeful
✓ Read this if...
You enjoy character-driven literary fiction exploring themes of alienation, family estrangement, and the search for meaning in a modern American setting, with a focus on interiority and relationships.
✗ Skip this if...
You prefer fast-paced plots, clear-cut resolutions, or stories with minimal introspection and philosophical digressions.
Plot Summary
The Hospital for Broken Things
Miles Heller, a man in his late twenties, works for a "trash-out" company in southern Florida, clearing out foreclosed homes. He photographs the abandoned personal items he finds, building a large collection of lost lives. Miles lives alone, separated from his wealthy parents, Morris Heller (a publisher) and Mary-Lee Swann (an actress), after a traumatic incident seven years earlier involving his step-brother, Bobby. Bobby died in a car accident while Miles was driving, leading to Miles's self-imposed exile and guilt. He has a relationship with Pilar Sanchez, a seventeen-year-old high school student, knowing it is risky due to her age and his own legal vulnerability.
A Life in Exile and a Forbidden Love
Miles's relationship with Pilar Sanchez becomes more serious, despite his internal conflict about her age. He feels a connection and purpose with her, but his past and the illegality of their relationship are a constant worry. Miles constantly fears being discovered and the possible consequences, especially from Pilar's family. He avoids contact with his parents, despite their attempts to reach him, clinging to his self-imposed penance for Bobby's death. His work photographing the remains of broken lives in foreclosed homes reflects his own fractured existence.
The Call to Brooklyn
Pilar's family eventually learns about her relationship with Miles, leading to a confrontation. Fearing legal trouble and further harm to Pilar, Miles decides to leave Florida. He realizes he cannot stay with Pilar and must disappear to protect her. With nowhere else to go and no desire to reconnect with his parents, Miles thinks of his old friend, Bing Nathan, who lives in Brooklyn. He heads to New York City, hoping to find refuge and an anonymous life, though still shadowed by his past mistakes.
Arrival at Sunset Park
Miles arrives in Brooklyn and contacts his old friend, Bing Nathan, who is squatting in an abandoned house in Sunset Park with a small group of artists and thinkers. Bing, a struggling artist and repairman, welcomes Miles, offering him a place to stay. Miles meets the other residents: Ellen, a painter; Alice, a graduate student studying sociology; and later, the elderly and mysterious Stanley, who becomes a mentor. The house, called 'The Hospital for Broken Things' by Bing, is a safe place for its residents, where they try to fix not only objects but also their own broken lives during the economic downturn.
Life in the Squat
Miles adjusts to life in the Sunset Park squat. He shares parts of his story with his new housemates, though he leaves out the full details of his past and his relationship with Pilar. He finds a strange comfort in the shared poverty and intellectual discussions, especially with Alice, who is writing a thesis on crowd psychology. Miles starts working odd jobs, often helping Bing with his repair business. The house becomes a temporary sanctuary, letting him escape the immediate pressures of his past, but the underlying anxieties of his life and his connection to Pilar remain strong.
The Ghosts of the Past and Present
Despite the relative calm of the squat, Miles is still troubled by Bobby's death and his separation from Pilar. He often thinks of Pilar, wondering about her well-being and the results of their relationship. The economic crisis and the foreclosure stories he heard in Florida echo the instability of their own lives in the squat. Miles finds a shared understanding with Stanley, the elderly resident, who shares his own experiences of loss and disappointment. Miles's photographs from Florida become a topic of discussion among the housemates, symbolizing the larger societal breakdown.
Morris Heller's Struggles
Meanwhile, Miles's father, Morris Heller, an independent publisher, struggles with the severe impact of the 2008 economic collapse on his business. His publishing house is close to bankruptcy, and he tries desperately to keep it going. His marriage to Mary-Lee Swann, Miles's mother, is also strained, partly due to their son's disappearance and the unresolved grief over Bobby's death. Morris worries about Miles, believing his son is still punishing himself for the accident. He continues to search for Miles, using a private investigator, hoping for a reconciliation before it is too late.
Mary-Lee's Return to the Stage
Miles's mother, Mary-Lee Swann, a famous actress, prepares for a return to Broadway after a long break. Her career comeback brings both excitement and anxiety, as she deals with performance pressures and the lingering pain of her family's broken state. Mary-Lee carries her own burden of guilt and grief over Bobby's death and Miles's disappearance. She wants her son to return, believing his presence is essential for the family to heal. Her artistic pursuits become a way to express her complex emotions.
The Threat of Discovery
Miles's past begins to catch up with him. Pilar's family, having learned Miles's identity, contacts his parents, Morris and Mary-Lee, informing them of the situation and the possible legal trouble Miles could face. This revelation intensifies Morris's search for his son. At the same time, the squatters receive an eviction notice, threatening their fragile home. The residents rush to find solutions, but the impending loss of their home adds another layer of instability to their already uncertain lives. Miles feels trapped, both by his personal past and their shared present.
The Confrontation and the Future
Morris and Mary-Lee's private investigator finally finds Miles at the Sunset Park squat. A tense and emotional reunion occurs, where Miles confronts his parents' pain and their wish for him to come home. The truth about Pilar and the legal implications are discussed. Miles is torn between his loyalty to the squatters and the chance to mend his family relationships. The novel ends with Miles making a difficult decision, choosing to leave the squat and return with his parents, facing the consequences of his actions and the long road to reconciliation, while the squatters' fate remains uncertain.
Principal Figures
Miles Heller
The Protagonist
Miles moves from self-imposed exile and profound guilt to a reluctant re-engagement with his past and family, beginning the slow process of atonement and healing.
Morris Heller
The Supporting
Morris struggles to keep his business and family together, eventually finding his son and facing the difficult path to reconciliation.
Mary-Lee Swann
The Supporting
Mary-Lee attempts to rebuild her career while grappling with immense personal grief, ultimately finding Miles and confronting their fractured past.
Pilar Sanchez
The Supporting
Pilar's relationship with Miles is brief but impactful, forcing him to confront his circumstances and flee.
Bing Nathan
The Supporting
Bing provides a haven for Miles and other outcasts, maintaining his optimistic, albeit precarious, existence.
Ellen
The Supporting
Ellen navigates her artistic aspirations and the precariousness of her living situation within the squat.
Alice
The Supporting
Alice continues her academic pursuits, using her observations of the squat to inform her understanding of human behavior.
Stanley
The Supporting
Stanley provides a steadying, philosophical presence within the squat, offering a link to a different generation's struggles and resilience.
Bobby
The Mentioned
Bobby's death is a static event that serves as the primary catalyst for Miles's character arc and the family's fractured state.
Themes & Insights
Guilt and Atonement
The novel explores Miles Heller's deep guilt over his step-brother Bobby's death and his subsequent self-imposed exile as a form of atonement. His work photographing abandoned objects in Florida (Plot Summary 1) can be seen as a ritual to acknowledge loss, reflecting his own unresolved grief. His reluctance to reconnect with his family (Plot Summary 2) and his choice of a precarious, anonymous life (Plot Summary 4) directly show his desire to punish himself. The eventual confrontation with his parents (Plot Summary 10) marks the start of his journey towards true atonement, moving beyond self-punishment to active reconciliation.
“He had done his best to disappear, to make himself small and invisible, to be nowhere and no one, and for seven years he had largely succeeded.”
Loss and Abandonment
Loss and abandonment appear throughout the story, both personally and societally. Miles's initial work in Florida involves documenting the abandoned possessions of evicted families (Plot Summary 1), which symbolizes the widespread human cost of the 2008 economic collapse. Personally, Miles experiences the loss of his step-brother, the abandonment of his family, and the forced separation from Pilar (Plot Summary 3). The Sunset Park squat itself (Plot Summary 4) is a refuge for people who feel abandoned or disconnected from mainstream society. The characters often deal with what they have lost, whether it is a home, a loved one, or a sense of stability.
“He was a ghost among ghosts, surrounded by the remnants of lives that no longer existed.”
Family Disintegration and Reconciliation
The Heller family is a central focus, showing the deep breakdown caused by tragedy and unresolved grief. Miles's separation from Morris and Mary-Lee (Plot Summary 2) after Bobby's death leaves a significant wound in their lives. Morris's desperate search for Miles (Plot Summary 7) and Mary-Lee's desire for her son to return (Plot Summary 8) highlight the lasting pain and the wish for healing. The novel builds towards the difficult, yet necessary, confrontation and the tentative steps towards reconciliation (Plot Summary 10), suggesting that true healing requires facing the past, no matter how painful.
“A son was missing, and the silence had been eating away at them for years.”
The American Dream in Crisis
Set during the 2008 economic collapse, the novel clearly shows the shattering of the American Dream. Miles's job clearing out foreclosed homes in Florida (Plot Summary 1) directly illustrates the widespread financial ruin and the loss of once-stable lives. Morris Heller's struggling publishing business (Plot Summary 7) further shows the economic downturn's impact on established institutions. The Sunset Park squat (Plot Summary 4), where young people live outside conventional society, represents a response to this crisis—a search for alternative communities and ways of living when traditional paths are no longer possible. The novel critiques the fragility of prosperity and the human cost of economic instability.
“All those lives, all those dreams, swept away by the tide of debt and broken promises.”
Art and Repair
The novel explores art as a way to process trauma, understand the world, and even repair. Miles's obsessive photography of abandoned objects (Plot Summary 1) is an artistic effort to document and remember loss, giving a voice to the voiceless. Bing's 'Hospital for Broken Things' (Plot Summary 4) literally repairs discarded objects, but also metaphorically serves as a place where broken lives can find temporary mending and community. Ellen's painting (Character: Ellen) and Mary-Lee's return to acting (Plot Summary 8) are other examples of characters using artistic expression to navigate their pain and find meaning, suggesting that creativity can be a strong force for resilience and healing.
“Broken things, he thought, were merely things that had forgotten how to be whole.”
Plot Devices & Literary Techniques
The Hospital for Broken Things (Literal and Metaphorical)
A repair shop and a squat that symbolizes mending and refuge.
This device functions on multiple levels. Literally, it's Bing Nathan's repair business and the name the squatters give to their shared home in Sunset Park (Plot Summary 4). Metaphorically, it represents a place where discarded objects—and by extension, broken lives and spirits—can find a temporary haven and a chance at repair. It highlights the novel's themes of loss, resilience, and the search for community among those marginalized by society. It's where Miles finds temporary solace and a sense of belonging, and where the characters attempt to piece together their fractured existences.
Miles's Photographs of Abandoned Objects
A visual archive of loss that reflects Miles's internal state and societal collapse.
Miles's obsessive photography of abandoned personal effects in foreclosed homes (Plot Summary 1) serves as a powerful visual motif. These photographs are not just a record of economic devastation but also a mirror to Miles's own sense of abandonment and his guilt over Bobby's death. The act of documenting these forgotten objects is a form of silent witness and a ritualistic act of remembrance, connecting his personal trauma to a broader societal crisis. They provide a concrete manifestation of the theme of loss and the human cost of the economic downturn.
The 2008 Economic Collapse
The pervasive backdrop that shapes characters' circumstances and motivations.
The 2008 economic collapse is not just a setting but a crucial plot device that drives many of the characters' circumstances and motivations. It directly causes the foreclosures Miles works on in Florida (Plot Summary 1), threatens Morris Heller's publishing business (Plot Summary 7), and contributes to the precarious living situations of the squatters in Sunset Park (Plot Summary 4). This pervasive crisis amplifies the novel's themes of loss, precarity, and the fragility of the American Dream, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and desperation that forces characters to confront their vulnerabilities and seek new ways of living.
The Film 'The Best Years of Our Lives'
A recurring cultural reference that parallels the characters' struggles with reintegration.
The 1946 film 'The Best Years of Our Lives,' about WWII veterans struggling to reintegrate into civilian life, is a recurring reference and point of discussion among the squatters. This film serves as an intertextual device, drawing parallels between the veterans' post-war trauma and the characters' own struggles with loss, displacement, and the difficulty of finding their place in a broken world. It offers a historical lens through which to view contemporary anxieties, suggesting that the challenges of adaptation and healing are timeless, whether after a war or an economic crisis.
Critical analysis
Notable Quotes
“Every man is an island, but some islands are connected by bridges.”
— Bing contemplating human connection and isolation.
“You can spend your whole life trying to get away from your family, but in the end, you always come back to them.”
— Bing's internal monologue about his relationship with his estranged family.
“Books are not just stories; they are worlds. And sometimes, the only way to survive in this world is to escape into another.”
— Harry's thoughts on the power and escape offered by literature.
“We are all strangers in a strange land, even when we are in our own homes.”
— Bing's feeling of displacement and alienation.
“The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but life without meaning.”
— A philosophical reflection on purpose and existence.
“Love is not a choice; it is a destiny.”
— Bing's perspective on his deep feelings for Alice.
“There are some things you can never outrun, no matter how fast you go.”
— Bing's realization about his past catching up to him.
“Every secret has a life of its own, and sometimes it grows larger than the person who keeps it.”
— Bing reflecting on the weight of his hidden past.
“The city is a living thing, always changing, always breathing, always devouring.”
— A description of New York City and its impact on the characters.
“Sometimes the only way to move forward is to let go of everything you thought you were.”
— Bing's journey of self-reinvention and acceptance.
“The absence of something can be as powerful as its presence.”
— Bing contemplating his missing family members.
“We live in the space between what we want and what we get.”
— A general observation on human desires and reality.
“There's a point where you stop running and start standing your ground, no matter what.”
— Bing's eventual decision to confront his past and future.
Quiz
Test Your Knowledge
Ready to see how well you understood this book? Take our interactive quiz with 10 questions.
10
Questions
~5
Minutes
?
Best Score
Key Questions (FAQ)
'Sunset Park' revolves around Miles Heller, a young man who has exiled himself from his family for seven years after a traumatic incident involving his stepbrother, Bobby. He works as a 'trash-out' worker in Florida, photographing abandoned objects, before finding refuge with a group of squatters in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, during the 2008 economic collapse.
About the author
Paul Benjamin Auster is an American writer and film director. His notable works include The New York Trilogy (1987), Moon Palace (1989), The Music of Chance (1990), The Book of Illusions (2002), The Brooklyn Follies (2005), Invisible (2009), Sunset Park (2010), Winter Journal (2012), and 4 3 2 1 (2017). His books have been translated into more than forty languages.
