The New York Trilogy

The New York Trilogy is a series of three interconnected and experimental detective stories by American author Paul Auster, published in 1987. The three parts were originally published separately as City of Glass (1985), Ghosts (1986), and The Locked Room (1986). The trilogy is a postmodern reinterpretation of the detective novel, linking mystery with metafiction as it explores the meaning of literature, language, and identity. City of Glass was adapted into a graphic novel in 2004 by Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli, City of Glass: A Graphic Mystery. It was also adapted into plays by Edward Einhorn in 2016 and by Duncan Macmillan in 2017.

Paul Auster is an acclaimed American author and one of the most important literary figures of postmodernism. He is known for his complex novels that center on the quest for identity and personal meaning. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and his work has been translated into more than 30 languages. He was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature and the Independent Spirit Award for screenwriting.

This study guide refers to the 2011 edition of the book by Faber and Faber.

Content Warning: The source text discusses racism, loss of child/miscarriage, and domestic/family violence, which are referred to in this guide.

Plot Summary

The narrative follows three unconventional mysteries that take place in New York. Each story reflects the other and, in the end, it becomes clear that they are all connected. The narrator reveals himself as the writer of the book.

City of Glass centers on Daniel Quinn, a writer of detective novels who has lost his wife and son. Daniel receives a late-night call from a man named Peter Stillman. Stillman mistakes him for a private detective named Paul Auster and asks to see him about an emergency. Lonely and intrigued by the mystery, Quinn decides to impersonate Paul Auster. He visits Peter and his wife, Virginia, and learns that the man’s father, Stillman Sr., is about to be released from a psychiatric hospital; Peter and Virginia are convinced he is planning to murder his son. As a kid, Peter was abused by his father, who kept him locked in a room for years as an experiment. Due to this, Peter’s speech remains incoherent. Quinn’s mission is to watch Stillman and keep him far from Peter.

Stillman Sr. was a university professor whose work focused on interpretations of the New World. Quinn finds his book in the library and learns about Stillman’s preoccupation with language. He identifies Stillman upon his arrival at Grand Central Station and later posts himself opposite the man’s hotel. For the rest of the story, Quinn follows him everywhere, trying to make sense of his haphazard actions. Stillman does nothing but wander around New York collecting items, and he never approaches Peter. Quinn makes detailed notes of Stillman’s movements in a red notebook. He finally meets Stillman, but their brief conversations do not explain his intentions. When Stillman disappears from the hotel, Quinn decides to contact the real detective, Paul Auster, and ask for his help on the case. It happens that Auster is also a writer, not a detective, and his involvement in the case was a mistake. Quinn’s obsession grows as Stillman is missing. He settles outside Peter and Virginia’s apartment to prohibit Stillman’s approach. Nothing happens for days, as Peter and Virginia never appear. Quinn calls them but the line is always busy. He completely loses all sense of himself and his former life. He calls Auster, who informs him that Stillman died by suicide months ago and the case is over. Quinn visits Peter and Virginia’s apartment and finds the door unlocked and the space empty. He remains in a dark room and writes in the red notebook until he runs out of pages.

Ghosts tells the story of Blue, a detective who works at Brown’s office. A man named White hires him to watch a man named Black. Blue settles at a small apartment across the street from Black and sends weekly written reports to White. Black spends his days reading, writing, and walking around the neighborhood. Blue becomes distraught by inertia and obsesses over the case, wanting to understand the purpose behind it. As he lacks clues, he begins to invent stories about the situation. He then decides to write an account of the events. Isolation and his constant surveillance of Black lead him to an identity crisis. He suspects that Black and White are the same person. He disguises himself to approach Black and learns he is writing a book. Blue decides to break into Black’s apartment. Black admits that he set Blue up, as he was necessary for his experiment. Blue still wants to learn the story. They fight, and Blue leaves Black unconscious, taking his manuscripts. Blue returns to his room and reads Black’s book. The story ends as Blue finishes reading and leaves the room.

The Locked Room is narrated in the first person by the unnamed writer of the book. The narrator is an article writer who assumes the identity of Fanshawe, a childhood friend who has disappeared. He meets Sophie, Fanshawe’s wife, and their month-old son, Ben. Sophie explains the circumstances of Fanshawe’s disappearance. Fanshawe was a writer who never published his work. Sophie says that Fanshawe’s wish was to give his manuscripts to the narrator and let him decide if they are worthy of publication. If not, she must destroy them. The narrator falls in love with Sophie and they begin a relationship, convinced that Fanshawe is dead. He shows Fanshawe’s work to an editor who becomes interested in publishing his work. Upon publication, Fanshawe’s work finds success. One day, the narrator receives a letter from Fanshawe. Fanshawe asks him to consider him dead and marry Sophie. He declares that in seven years he will be dead. However, he warns the narrator never to search for him or he will kill him. The narrator marries Sophie and becomes a father to Ben, but he cannot forget that Fanshawe is still alive. When the editor asks him to write Fanshawe’s biography, the narrator begins a quest to locate the man. His quest is long and unsettles his personal life. Finally, Fanshawe appears and asks the narrator to meet him. He lives in a house in Boston, and the narrator never sees him, as he remains locked in a room. Fanshawe describes what happened to him after he disappeared and gives the narrator a red notebook. He tells him it contains everything he wants to know. The narrator asks for more explanations but Fanshawe says the story has finished. The narrator returns to New York. At the train station, he enjoys reading the red notebook but understands little of it. Still, he feels everything is unfinished and finds no closure. As his train arrives, he tears out the notebook’s pages and throws them in the trash.