The New York Trilogy: City of Glass; Ghosts; The Locked Room (Contemporary American Fiction Series) Paperback – April 1, 1990

Paul Auster’s novel, The New York Trilogy, is a unique blend of metafiction and mystery, with a definitive detective, noir flavor and vibe. There is a common bond within all three tales in that there is a sense of isolation experienced within the main character’s point of view as they head towards an unseen destination in their investigation/search. At points, the protagonist, in looking for someone or something, is forced to look inwardly, sometimes painfully and truthfully, at themselves.In “City of Glass”, author Quinn assumes the role of “detective” as he tries to locate and find the whereabouts of the elder Peter Stillman. Stillman allegedly wreaked severe psychological damage on his son, Peter Stillman. The case and search take on a life of its own as Quinn becomes immersed in this case to the point of breakdown and obsession. Auster captures the frustration of Quinn during his search: “…there seemed to be no substance to the case. Stillman was a crazy old man who had forgotten his son. He could be followed to the end of time, and still nothing would happen.”“Ghosts”, the second of the trilogy and my favorite of the three, is quite a colorful read (in more ways than one). A man named Blue is hired by a guy named White to tail another man named Black (make sense). In much the same manner as “City of Glass”, there is the sense that the one doing the tracking must get into the head of the one they are tracking. They must come up with their own theories, and Blue does not know enough about Black so must take this on in a forceful way, delve into the makeup of Black: “They only way for Blue to have a sense of what is happening is to be inside Blacks’ mind to see what his is thinking, and that of course is impossible.” After much speculating and wondering, things shift quite suddenly in the second part of the plot and we have interaction between Blue and Black that takes us to a sudden conclusion.“It seems to me now that Fanshawe was always there. He is the place where everything begins for me, and without him I would hardly know who I am.” So begins the final installment in the trilogy, “The Locked Room.” The Locked Room focuses on the search for a writer named Fanshawe, who has been missing for six months. Fanshawe’s wife contacts an acquaintance from Fanshawe’s childhood to help look for the writer. Eventually, things get more complicated when she asks, as a favor, for him to critique her husband’s writings. Becoming fully immersed in the case, the narrator suddenly seems to assume the role of Fanshawe, marrying his wife and trying to get his works published. The narrator takes on much of who Fanshawe is. As the narrator gets closer to understanding more, he begins to question a sense of his own identity.I found The New York Trilogy to be a breath of fresh air, very non-traditional and unique.There is ambiguity and vagueness to all three novellas, and that is perfectly fine. It forces the readers to be much like the main characters, and assume their own conclusions. And much like the main character in each of the plots, I pushed myself to read on, looking for clues and meanings within. Auster allows room for the reader to interpret, discuss, and think about, much of what goes on.

Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy has been waiting for a review for a few weeks now. I can confidently say that I’ve never read a more confusing, unresolved book than this one. What’s incredible about Auster’s work, though, is that this doesn’t condemn the book in any way. If you’re a fan of neat and easy storybook endings that are predictable from a million miles away, stay away from The New York Trilogy. If you like great writing that gives you a headache, this is the novel for you.The New York Trilogy is, like the title implies, a collection of three shorter stories originally published as three different books. While they seem to have nothing in common, the trilogy as a whole is definitely one story, or at least three facets of one story. There isn’t a sentence that could capture any of these stories, so let the back cover text intrigue you:City of Glass: As a result of a strange phone call in the middle of the night, Quinn, a writer of detective stories, becomes enmeshed in a case more puzzling than any he might have written.Ghosts: Blue, a student of Brown, has been hired by White to spy on Black. From a window of a rented room on Orange Street, Blue keeps watch on his subject, who is across the street, staring out of his window.The Locked Room: Fanshawe has disappeared, leaving only his wife and a baby and a cache of extraordinary novels, plays, and poems. What happened to him — and why is the narrator, Fanshawe’s boyhood friend, lured obsessively into his life.None of these stories follow any traditional pattern. City of Glass fizzles into existential questioning at the expense of any action. Ghosts comes to a surprising head, and is marked by the total non-characterization of its colorful characters. The Locked Room appears to be a regular mystery story, until the narrator inherits Fanshawe’s wife and life, and is wracked by dread when Fanshawe seems to have reappeared. None of these stories are an easy read, or go in the direction that you expect. Also, they make absolutely no sense.All of the stories feature intriguing overlaps. Characters have the same or similar names, patterns of events repeat, and the red notebook is frequently seen. Obsession and identity are key themes across the trilogy. In the end, all three stories hang together in such a way that they’re inextricably unrelated. There are no spoilers to give away because you will finish the book without a clue of what happened.Many people dislike Auster and his work for this reason, but I found something intriguing under the surface of The New York Trilogy. Auster is writing in unfamiliar territory, and he doesn’t have all the answers himself. The book could even be seen as partially autobiographical. Paul Auster is actually a character in multiple stories, and the book expertly blurs the line between reality and fiction. It makes for an intensely entertaining and thought-provoking read.If you read The New York Trilogy, you will find yourself obsessed the entire time you are reading it. Just like the characters in the stories, you will throw books, pace and debate what is true, and find yourself increasingly obsessed with understanding what is going on. Auster has accomplished one thing for sure: whatever this book is about, it’s exciting enough to totally enmesh its readers in its world. I’m looking forward to putting more time into decoding the meaning of the story — I have lots of notes, but no answers yet!

As a writer I am moved by the simplicity and strength ofAuster’s prose. There is something elemental about it. Fiction has never been quite the same since Paul Auster.

Libro arrivato integro e in tempi previsti.

Book came in mint condition, the cover and the pages are a bit wrinkled but it’s just to achieve that old-timey book aesthetic so it’s not actually damage. This edition contains the three books that comprise Auster’s New York trilogy in an easy to carry, very readable format.

I am nearing the end of the third story and so far it's really been a great pleasure to read Paul Auster, as usual, totally deserves a 5 stars rating.

The very best work of metafiction after The crying of lot 49.it consists three different stories both are distinct from each other and at end there are Some sort of things that amazed me and it's remind me every time that I am reading a fictional character..That's why it's one of the best Metafiction works