Ghosts by Paul Auster

Title: Ghosts (Book 2 of The New York Trilogy)
Author: Paul Auster
ISBN: 9780140131550
Publisher: Penguin/1986
Pages: 72

Ghosts is the second novel in The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. A short one at 72 pages, it manages to hold interest.

Named after colours, the various characters truly depict those alloted names. White hires a private detective Blue to spy on Black. Blue calls the future Mrs. Blue that he is going under cover for a while and moves into an apartment right in front of Black. Now Black doesn't do much other than sitting in front of his window, either reflecting into space or writing something. Blue doesn't like the inactivity. But he still sends reports to White. Those are sterile reports. None of those contain his thoughts.

Blue gets his weekly cheques and ought to be happy living in a fully furnished apartment, watching Black. However, he being a man of action, the lethargy does not become him. Blue disguises himself as an old man and contacts Black, who says he (Blue) looks like the poet, Walt Whitman. Yet, Blue can't find much about Black. Although he has doubts.

One day he breaks into Black's apartment and finds out that Black to is spying on someone and writing about it too. Things come to a head and the title Ghosts makes perfect sense.

Auster writes in no flowery prose, yet there is something which compels the reader to go on. The lucidity is astounding and there is much much more than the apparently simple story. The obseession of a private eye, his boredom, and his thought process go into many directions. We are with Blue, all the way, and want to know more about Black. And also about White. Blue also reflects about his mentor, Brown. All these colours kind of make these characters visual. And the colours merge making way fr new colours. The ending is left open for interpretation and the title has wide ramifications.

Those who like to think beyond the obvious, and can go into many layers of a story will like this short novel and will reach out for other Auster works. Just as I have. I will. Over and over again.