A review by shauny_32
City of Glass by Paul Auster

4.0

A difficult story to describe. but one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Despite feeling somewhat perplexed, my first novel by Paul Auster has been a pleasant experience. 

A New York writer named Daniel Quinn is mistaken as a detective and ends up playing the role. He becomes embroiled in a case, starts to follow a man, and little by little, becomes too attached to the case. 

I’ve been a fan of post-modern American writers, such as Philip Roth, Don DeLillo, Cormac McCarthy and Thomas Pynchon, for a couple of years now and Paul Auster has been mentioned a few times but usually in a way that describes him as producing B-tier material for the sub-genre. 

I understand why many would consider him as something less than essential but I was gripped by City of Glass from start to finish. It’s a swift, unchallenging read that is somehow thought-provoking but uneventful at the same time. 

I’m not too experienced by detective novels, but I was immediately hooked. I liked the prose, the subtle humour and style, and the ending was Kafkaesque in the best possible sense. 

After reading City of Glass, I’m convinced that it’s worth exploring more of Auster’s works.