The New York Trilogy

THE NEW YORK TRILOGY : Paul Auster : Penguin Book : Mystery : 371 pages.

Welcome to a house of mirrors. Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy is sometimes confusing, sometimes tedious, but mostly intriguing. The three stories, “City of Glass,” “Ghosts,” and “The Locked Room” are closely related by their theme and plot similarities. The stories possess a few seemingly arbitrary and impossible interconnections. Auster’s characters and storylines fold and unfold in unexpected ways.

There are themes of surveillance, writing, and the relationships between life and texts. The characters evolve and change roles. There are stories within stories—very much like Russian “nesting” dolls." City of Glass" concerns a mystery writer, Daniel Quinn, who becomes involved in a real case—playing the part of a private detective, conducting surveillance on a man who may pose a threat to Daniel’s “client”. "Ghosts" also involves surveillance. Blue, trained by Brown, has now been hired by White to watch Black. When Black never does anything but sit in his apartment reading and writing, Blue becomes bored with the case and begins to feel trapped and resentful toward White. "The Locked Room" is of a man who becomes the executor for the literary works left behind by one of his childhood friends who inexplicably disappeared and is presumed dead.

Refreshing originality, interesting characters and the intriguing storylines make this volume a worthwhile and thought-provoking read.