"Winter's Tale" by Mark Helprin

Although it was published during the depths of Reagan's 80s, "Winter's Tale," (which should not be confused with the Shakespeare play) feels like it was written as a true genesis story for New York. Think of 100 Years of Solitude except a) colder and b) of a slightly different brand of magic realism. What makes this book worthwhile is that it poses sincere questions about the nature of a city. What does it mean to live in a place where the absurdly poor and absurdly rich walk side by side everyday? What does it mean to live in a city of both intense suffering and intense beauty? What does it mean to love in such a city? This novel does give the occasional middle finger to Marxism, a gesture I can forgive for the sake of a good read and the time in which it was written, if only because Helprin touches some fundamental uncertainties about the way we live and die in the modern world. Also, Peter Lake is quite a compelling rogue.