All in all, the three stories, on the first glance look like they are separated, but they are more connected than any other. Like in everyday life. Everything can be connected one way or another and that’s the beauty of it.

I loved the way Auster used his name to captivate us in the first story. He continued onward with Peter Stillman and detective Quinn in the third story (which is also one of pen names of Auster, funny, right?), Sofi connection with Virginia Stillman, red notebook, detective problems etc. I love the moment when the author said that language is our limitation, in the example of the old guy who is torturing his son. There are many examples of how Auster mind works and how he makes you turned and tossed in yours while reading the book.

When someone enters your mind and leaves you hanging (like Mr. White from “Ghosts” or Mr. Fanshawe from “The Locked Room” or even Paul Auster after you finish reading the book), you are instantly compelled and you cannot forget the person. All stories are written with open ending, and they give you the feeling that something is missing and it doesn’t give you peace.

It is fascinating fact how the book itself is mentioned in the book and how characters interact on so many layers of the story. The stories in the mentioned book inside the book are written by unnamed narrator of the third story, and this keeps you even more in wonder and amazement. Is it Paul Auster himself the last character? Did this really happen to him? Auster confuses us a lot, he puts us up and down, disappointed and fulfilled and in the end the book gives us this chill which I am feeling by writing this review.

This mind-entering can be unconditional or on purpose (which is way worse) — and because of this feeling people can do crazy things, without even realising how crazy they are. It is scary how we can ignore our own reality and people around us just because we are blinded. I was struggling to find the point of the stories, especially in the “City of Glass”, which is completely weird, disturbing and unfinished.

The more I think about the book and the whole absurdity thing, I think I will give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. Reading the first 20 pages I thought that this is very naive and not well thought, but when I finished the last page, I was left in very positive wonder. I love absurd, I love pointlessness, I love weird stories, I love certain amount of creepy, I love tiny little dash of horror.

Every writer, architect, sculptor, in one word — a creator, has the moment of letting his inner world outside. The language or the skills become his limitations. He has an idea in his head and he does many things to reveal the idea. He wants to show it. It is difficult, it is challenging. Usually artists are not satisfied with their work (like for instance Fanshawe in the third story), because the idea is always better. But all in all, after thinking about this story, I think Auster showed us a lot and made us think a lot. He gave us a point where there is no point. In the end, what’s the point of life? What’s the point of everything?

Published here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1711989873