6/29/09

In beginning to read, City of Glass, I have found the book to be quite intriguing, yet odd. Auster’s writing style is very vulgar and straightforward, especially at points you would least expect. I found myself having to stop at times and actually consider if I had just read some of the words that were written on the page. I don’t know if he has a dry sense of humor or that he showing a complete parallel to his personality. The most disheartening part about this book, that has captured my attention, is the quite prolific mentioning of child torture and isolation. But most importantly, the growth of “natural language,” that was briefly mentioned. I have an interest in child psychology and growth and I have found this topic to be quite fascinating and informing. I found that City of Glass, unlike The Big Sleep, pulls on the heartstrings of its readers. There is a more emotional connection found by the main character, Quinn, which is not seen by Marlowe. Maybe, it is because of his great loss he endured in loosing his wife and child. You can see that it is quite apparent that the loss of his child has taken such a drastic deterioration of his well-being and sanity. At the very end of the reading you feel closer and sympathetic to the main character when he informs you of his own child’s name, its relations to the man he is trying to save, and his perspective of the situation through the end of his son’s life.
-Erin L.