Usually the term TRILOGY means the continuation of a certain plot or the lives of certain characters for good or ill depending on whether the author actually has more story to unfold. Often it may be justified to toss around the accusation of a “money grab”. Sometimes however something greater is afoot. My favorite trilogy is John Dos Passos’ USA TRILOGY. Dos Passos mixes experimental techniques (interviews, song lyrics, headlines, stream of consciousness, character biographies—and this was in the ‘30’s) with straight narrative to achieve a greater impact than if he had carried along down a straight line. I have shambled through many trilogies since reading Dos Passos 25 years ago, but nothing came close to creating the same power and buzz for me until I read Paul Auster’s NEW YORK TRILOGY. Auster too seems to be creating his own techniques to tell his tale. Each of the three books is loosely structured as a detective story. Very quickly, the mystery changes…and then changes again. What seems straightforward slowly bends in different directions. You could read each novel and argue that you have read the same thing three times…or make the opposite argument as well. When I think of the books I see three giant arrows pointing toward an empty center. Not empty, but something I can’t yet see. Each book is from the point of view of it’s detective. They proceed logically but as what they seek starts to shift, so does their logical footing. Each book starts as a lark, but soon shudders into darkness. Is this darkness the absence of love…or the penalty of imposing order on chaos…or even the personal hell awaiting writers facing blank sheets? Auster’s creation is marvelous. It seems kindred to Dos Passos and at the same time existing in a world we haven’t caught up to yet.

I can see where this might not be to everyone’s taste. There is a weaving of intimacy, tragedy and humor that is at once very personal but completely open. Homosexuality, suicide and child abuse might all be triggering topics but they were real components of the author’s life growing up. The “Fun” of the title is short for Funeral at once hinting at a sense of humor and an underlying seriousness. There is also a balance between straight-forward narration and a literary history infused narration to reflect the love of books the author shared with her father. In many graphic novels, artwork excuses the minimal use of words. In this case the pictures add flavor to this meal of words. I loved that there is so much narration included that it was often added in the margins of the picture sometimes ringing the whole action. What might have been pretentious and numbing, was for me amusing and enlightening. While the literary references are the author showing off they are also self-mocking. The art is not flashy but very nicely conveys the attitudes of the characters during a given scene. The author’s side glances are always a delight. If you expect to rush through this like a lot of graphic novels, then don’t bother starting it. The accent here is on the novel, versus the graphic. There were a couple revelations during the author’s childhood—so there is a narrative, then a re-examination of that narrative rolling out simultaneously. A marvelous work that rewards patience and an open mind.