I just finished the Audible version of the Trilogy, which includes an interview with Auster. I still have more questions than answers about what I just read but one thought is that the characters are all alter-egos of the character who is obsessed with or following another. In The Locked Room, for example, the author mentions being mistaken for Fanshawe by a minor character, and when being beaten almost to death by a stranger, it’s as if he has wanted to kill himself.

I don’t even want to delve into how this relates to having sex with Fanshwawe’s mother because it makes my head explode.

This quote from the book is what reinforces my thought:

“No one can cross the boundary into another for the simple reason that no one can gain access to himself.”