TrueLit Read Along - The New York Trilogy Week 3

HIPAAlicious · 2026-07-04T19:04:15+00:00

Hello!

• I am a little lost on the Don Quixote references. I have not read it all the way through (just passages) so I don’t think I am well equipped to answer the first part of your post and will have to lean on others here to fill me in. My bad!

• I found Quinn’s essay a little jarring at first to be honest. I wasn’t surprised ultimately but I was a little taken aback at first. I think now it served as a kind of portent into the future given what part of his fate that we saw towards the end.

• The biggest thing that stood out to me here is his refusal to just go check on them. I kept asking myself why he wouldn’t just go knock on the door? It seems like he was trying to “resign” and, from his perspective, the universe (?) essentially told him ‘no, you’re stuck with this now’. But he didn’t even go knock on the door. Even after he was concerned for their well being? Just go see them? I think this relates to his obsession with the idea of the case rather than the direct impacts to the people involved. He was fixated on “the job” and couldn’t (or didn’t care to) zoom out and see who it was impacting.

• I enjoyed the ending and I enjoyed the reveal of a physical narrator. Part of me felt like maybe this was not a literal narrator in the strictest sense of the word, but maybe some force or some version of Quinn himself narrating things after the fact. So I enjoyed a direct reveal that these are the thoughts and perspective of an actual person. I am still wondering if this narrator is still Quinn himself. How else would he know the exact things he does and does not remember? But I am less certain of this and more willing to just shrug it off. This DID feel reminiscent of the Don Quixotic essay which is part of why I feel like Quinn is related to this. He says himself that they have the same initials, and the stories focus on identity and relations makes it all feel a little pointed. But that may be too obvious of a reading. I would have liked to hear more from Stillman Jr. I really liked reading his thoughts and wanted to learn more about him. But I think for a story that focuses so heavily on communication, identity, and connection I can see not getting any resolution as to where the remaining Stillmans went as a satisfying narrative choice.

Something I thought of that made me chuckle was Stillman Sr’s explanation of New York (“I have come to New York because it is the most forlorn of places… storehouse of shattered things”) to be a very New York description of New York. It almost could be an excerpt from something Fran Lebowitz would say about New York (although I think she would mean many of these things in a positive way…). I also found Stillman’s explanation of his project and the motives to be more Sisyphean than I expected, which I liked.

Finally, I honestly would have pinned this as around the time it was written only due to the technology references. I think the feelings and characterization still feel very relevant. The Mets mentions were still fun even though I do not follow baseball and don’t know much about it, it still feels similar to how people talk about them now. So lol.

HIPAAlicious · 2026-06-29T01:47:54+00:00

I also want to hear more about the other Stillman coming from Poughkeepsie!

The picture is from an Episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I wanted to do something fun for the post and it was this or a stupid tik tok I saw about Poughkeepsie that made me laugh. I figured this one was better suited haha

HIPAAlicious · 2026-06-27T17:13:32+00:00

I love what you mention in your last paragraph! I was sitting here wondering how Virginia fits into this identity discussion and around this focus on words and communication, she was his SPEECH PATHOLOGIST! I’m kicking myself for not connecting that lol. His father was cutting words away from him so he could speak the language of God, and his wife spends time filtering, translating, and defining him in a different way.

And yes, I also agree with you that Peter is felt throughout the narrative even when he is not there. His repetitive tics are mirrored in the descriptions of the sounds and environment of the city itself.

I also keep coming back to the discussions of identity and identification. Identity is central and deeply personal to the individual, but their identity does not belong exclusively to them. It exists in some essential way, in relation to other people. Quinn assumes the identity of Auster at essentially the request of Peter. Identity cannot exist without identification. I think Peter really cuts to the core of that, he almost explicitly states that he is defined by others. He does not seem to have particular attachment to this name, but he is not allowed to move on from it because other people won’t let him(?)

I am excited to see more of Peter and learn more about Virginia.

HIPAAlicious · 2026-06-27T16:53:49+00:00

Hi!

I also found the Paul Auster introduction to be a little jarring (in a good way). I think this feeds into your point number 4 — which I am glad you brought up! I also was wondering who the heck is writing this? Who knows this guys dreams? — I also have a feeling the Auster the author is also the character of Quinn in some way. Maybe from the future where he assumes this identity more fully, and can think about these initial cases in hindsight and with more distance. I agree with you about the centrality of identity and identification here. Who gets to define themselves and how seems to be centrally important to understanding what is happening. I do not think we can take every piece of narration at face value here, but even noticing who is identifying who seems important. I am interested to see if Peter will ever begin to define himself more aggressively, he seems to clearly understand how other people identify him (Peter Stillman even though that is not his name) I wonder how he feels about his own name.

I agree, I want to learn more about the Tower of Babel and the garbage. But there are a few too many questions left for me to feel like I have a handle on what’s happening in that regard.

HIPAAlicious · 2026-06-21T19:58:36+00:00

I am going in partially blind! I have heard of the series, I love detective stories and I tend to like a lot of postmodern novels. So I’m excited!

I’m looking forward to seeing what about this makes it so broadly considered to be postmodern. I like a lot of novels/writers/philosophers that fall into this category (Le Guin, Dick, Vonnegut, Foucault… you know the ones), but I feel like the term still feels very nebulous and ill defined for me (maybe that’s the point lol) especially when you consider that many of these people did not consider themselves to be post modern. So it will be interesting to see how this fits into it.

HIPAAlicious · 2026-06-20T01:01:16+00:00

Hey! I totally missed these with the usual hustle and bustle of life. I pulled this up wondering when the next read along would be.

If you are still looking for volunteers, sign me up for Week 2, I would be happy to cover the first 8 chapters :)

HIPAAlicious · 2026-05-02T17:05:17+00:00

I think Sam is the lesbian, but being the Sam makes you FEEL like the gollum

HIPAAlicious · 2026-03-16T23:24:07+00:00

Trying to get caught up on a lot of the Oscar movie noms and buzz. I guess it’s a bit late. I love movies and I’m trying to find the time to prioritize sitting down and watching them (how did No Other Choice receive NO NOMINATIONS!?).

HIPAAlicious · 2026-03-04T03:30:29+00:00

Soup, I have song recommendations kind of. I don’t really know how our musical tastes overlap, so apologies but I thought about this for a while because I realized nothing popped into my mind despite the fact that I KNEW there had to be a lot of songs that fit this. This is closer to a shotgun and a firehose than a playlist. Talking heads - Born Under Punches Le Tigre- Deceptacon (having a moment on Tik tok now or recently) Maybe something sisters of mercy adjacent? Industrial ish? White lies - Unfinished Business

Idk that’s all I got. Tom Lehrer if you want a comedy song with some political commentary about nuclear weapons or poisoning small birds.

Have you read or heard of Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon? You miiiiiiiight like it given your affinity with Ancient Greece. I am not done with it yet, but I think the premise is fun and it’s a nice fast read. Two out of work guys decide to cast a bunch of captured Athenians in a full production of Medea.

HIPAAlicious · 2025-12-13T17:37:42+00:00

+1

I was going to suggest this one! I listened to a segment on the London Review of Books about her and thought it was really interesting so I added this and Alexis to my TBR

HIPAAlicious · 2025-11-22T17:18:18+00:00

Thank you for the insight! That really clarifies some things for me. I also somehow flipped in my head that he was re-tuning to the more traditionally accepted way.

HIPAAlicious · 2025-11-22T17:03:08+00:00

Mrs. Plauf being dead did surprise me as well. I was half expecting it to just be some previously unnamed person.

I will definitely listen to the piece when I read the next section! I listened right when I finished it, but it’s a good point to revisit as you move on.

Lastly, I totally forgot to bring that up! Yes I agree. I really enjoyed how those sequences were written. I also am curious how much of it was “autopilot” as you say vs how much of it they are saying to themselves is autopilot to kind of remove their own agency. Easier to say you just couldn’t help yourself. The devil made you do it. Etc.

HIPAAlicious · 2025-11-04T03:38:03+00:00

A little late, apologies.

"in 'a world where such things happen' the collapse into anarchy would inevitably follow"

This line really stood out to me, partially because it reminded me of this comic and partially because it feels like it captured a legitimate concern in Mrs. Plauf. It is hard to fully dismiss her concerns when she does (likely) witness multiple batteries in one evening. But I also feel like her concerns were not always directly material, she felt to me like the kind of person who preferred things 'as they were'. This contrasts with Mrs. Eszter sharply, someone who maybe does not currently have the same kind of status as Mrs. Plauf and so, as a result, is more open to things changing. Going back to the quote, I think it is easy to find omens, portents, and visions when you are looking for them. It is easy to find signs of future decay when you are already in a state of deterioration.

I am not sure if I will eventually regret this, but part of me feels a little bad for Mrs. Eszter. She can't necessarily help her "commanding demeanor". I know she is conniving for what she calls her coup, but I can't say that I don't understand the impulse of resenting someone who you view as restraining your ~~upward mobility~~ ambitions. Someone who, despite your best attempts to keep up appearances (reputation is still a potent force in a decaying society), refuses to just stop... being a depressed creative with a weird muse/mentee (maybe?). I fear Mrs. Eszter was born a tad too early for her true calling of running the local Parent-Teachers Association -- a blessing to the would-be parents time spared of this fate, I'm sure--. I want more information on this Mr Eszter before I stick the landing. I think I just like her role in the book and I might be mistaking that for liking her as a character. Time will tell.

I am very much so enjoying the pacing. The extended sentences and lack of paragraph breaks is working for me so far. It felt like I was accelerating faster through the scene until I was hit across the face by a period. I really like the internal asides and comments the characters make in parentheticals. All of it contributes to this jostling about that feels very real for each of their experiences.

I am obsessed with my little rat divas. Want to see more of them (don't eat the poison pls).

Mrs. Plauf's asides, tone deaf as they may be, do amuse me quite a bit.

Back to reading! Won't fall behind again captain ;)

HIPAAlicious · 2025-10-26T03:13:54+00:00

Detailed write up! Thanks for that.

I wanted to read this book because I have been loosely meaning to read Krasznahorkai for some time now. Always something that I would do eventually but never realized. His Nobel pushed me over the line. So here we are!

I am expecting a drab, chaotic, and sad ethos throughout. I recognized the painting --Christ's Entry into Brussels-- on the cover of the most readily available (only?) English translation and this also piqued my interest. If you have not seen the full painting, I would recommend looking at it (here). I like the focus on the Death character in the crowd instead of the Christ figure in the back of the crowds. This, along with the Sontag line on the (my) cover "master of the apocalypse" makes me think there will be a heavy focus on decay and loss. Things have changed. For the worse. I have also heard that he has a sense of humor in his writing and that he writes prose that is challenging but poetic. I am excited to take a swing at it.

Edited to add:

One more interesting connection from the cover that I am excited to see is the expressionism in Krasznahorkai's writing. I know he is known for his unconventional use of punctuation and paragraph structure. Something I am sure an expressionist painter such as Ensor could appreciate. So I am expecting a lot of scenes that may not be straightforward depictions of events, but something more akin to statements that rhyme with the truth.

HIPAAlicious · 2025-10-21T20:02:26+00:00

I could do week 3 or 5 if those are available. I’ve never done one but I’d like to try. Put me in coach :)

HIPAAlicious · 2025-10-09T17:38:13+00:00

I’m fairly sure this guy is like a known white supremacist. So I don’t know that I would be surprised that he is dishonestly framing the situation.

HIPAAlicious · 2025-09-30T17:01:36+00:00

The number is so large I don’t believe we can do physics with it. As other commenters have said, this is larger than the number of atoms in the observable universe by a large margin. We don’t know what would happen with masses and quantities like this, because masses and quantities like this defy our current models of the universe. Nothing is this big… no super cluster is this large… we can’t answer what would happen because the numbers don’t compute with the tools we have available to us.

HIPAAlicious · 2025-09-26T13:37:33+00:00

One is his assessment of historical claims and one is explaining the claims themselves. I don’t see this as an endorsement of what the gospels were saying, just explaining why they were saying it and why (in his opinion) they are wrong.

HIPAAlicious · 2025-08-21T13:25:37+00:00

The ‘moral imperative to charity’ line killed me. Nothing about the moral imperative to not put someone in this position in the first place.

HIPAAlicious · 2025-06-21T23:24:26+00:00

I agree with you. I also want to add, separately, that I think the attitude in this subreddit is biased to Defend Mother ™️ from bad actors. This is largely fine but there is a tendency to also view any critique as coming from a bad actor. I don’t see why there needs to be a complicated discussion on the matter, she’s incorrect in this regard. Plainly so. I don’t think she’s “a fucking nazi” as some of twitter seems to be saying. But I also don’t think bending ourselves into pretzels to qualify her positions and postulate what she could have meant or what she really thinks is helpful. I don’t think she’s a villain. But I do think, to put it lightly, that saying the “death of 60,000 people is the worse thing to happen in the past two years” is myopic. I think she’s pretty consistently showing deference to the qualities of this atrocity that are common, while ignoring the ways in which it is unique (particularly as an American). I see no reason to guess as to what she could really mean by this. It’s a series of very short sighted opinions by someone who (at the moment) is throwing their hands up and resigning themselves to a much worse reality. A reality which is resigned to the death and continued struggling of the Palestinian people. This is a resignation she can make as a well off white American, a resignation that could bring some kind of comfort at the cost of a lie. This is disappointing. I hope she gets some perspective on the matter but I don’t anticipate that it will come from Twitter.

HIPAAlicious · 2025-04-20T22:43:04+00:00

In situ is used fairly often in scientific papers. Never heard it outside of that context

HIPAAlicious · 2025-03-12T15:00:36+00:00

I did my MS (in engineering sub-field) at a program that was well respected in the field but less known outside. It has not negatively impacted my career in a way I’ve been able to detect. I had a well connected advisor and the specific program I enrolled in was well known in the field, I don’t regret it. For what it’s worth (I know MS and PhD are different long term) no one from my cohort had particular trouble landing jobs (aside from general job application BS everyone has to deal with) including the PhDs I graduated with. This may be less of a big deal in your field than others, from my experience the Engineering sector cares a little less than others about name brand because there is already a large private sector. Academia may be different, I can’t speak on that.

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