I declare the ending to Sunset Park the most abrupt ending I have ever come across!!! I finally understand what all the critics were raving about in their reviews. I guess I found this ending especially jarring, because I have always been a stickler for the Disney famed “Happy Ever After…” ending. Although there isn’t a happy ending there isn’t a sad ending either, the conclusion is just very ambivalent. The concluding chapters don’t resolve the housing situations or the emotional / mental problems of the main characters. The end just leaves the reader with more questions than before, or in my case this catatonic state where you ponder what could have happened. The first thing in the conclusion that grabbed my attention was the change in narrative style during Miles Heller’s father’s chapter. This chapter takes on the tone of a personal journal and is written in the second person. This transition, in my opinion, gave the impression that Miles’ father may have been the narrator of the novel the whole time.  But this theory can’t explain how Morris Heller knew such intimate facts about the main characters. In the last third of the book, the characters started to show some progression and the book hinted towards a resolution but ends shortly afterwards. Bing Nathan was able to come to terms with his feelings toward Miles and even discovered that the feelings were not of a sexual nature. However, Bing was never able to define the nature of his feelings or tell Miles. Alice was able to end her relationship with her boyfriend and come close to finishing her dissertation. However, because of the forced eviction, she was placed in the hospital and the reader is unsure what happened to the work saved on her computer. Alice is able to find love, but will the love last; is Alice still dominated by her sexual cravings? The story of Miles leaves the reader with the most questions. Miles is able to rekindle his relationship with his parents and Pilar and starts to allow himself to be ambitious again. The story ends with Miles serving jail time, so the reader is unaware of his future. 

Analyzing Sunset Park with the deconstructive school of literary criticism allowed me to divulge the real meaning of the book. Most readers become blindsided by the keywords of the book like economic ruin or housing crisis and fail to see the true meaning. An interesting review for Sunset Park that I found was published by The Independenet. This review led me to consider the true unifying theme presented in the story. The review was conducted by David Mattin, and he argues that Auster tries to create a more realistic tone for the book, but fails to do so. Mattin states that the foundation for the story (the death of Bobby and the economic crisis during that period) is "really never more than a cardboard backdrop". I tend to agree with Mattin on this point. In my opinion, the book doesn't really reflect the economic crisis in a most realistic manner. This book and the character's situations could have been set in many time periods that reflect economic hardships. Instead, the use of the housing crisis was a marketing ploy to attract more readers and attempt to make the book more relatable. The true unifying theme of the novel is homelessness of the mind. All of the main characters do not feel at home in their own bodies or minds. For example, Miles Heller isn’t able to process the death of his brother, so he becomes a recluse in some sort of retribution and ends all ties with his friends, family, and the Miles he was before his brother’s death. Another possible connection between the characters is the reoccurring use of “The Best Years of Our Lives” film. The mention of the movie expresses this idea that the characters wasted the best years of their lives succumbing to their tragic flaws and trying to salvage their lives.