New York Split Between Escapist Myths and Harsh Realities in David Duchovny's Miss Subways (2018) and the reservoir (2021)

Discovering cities by means of fiction is a technique worth taking into account. Fiction has always had this role of displaying everything that belongs to the superior forms of arts and culture, giving access to the understanding of man’s psychology and mentality in all historical or social contexts. David Duchovny’s two novels, Miss Subways (2018) and The Reservoir (2021), manage to capture, in an interesting manner, full of symbolism, mythical figures and sordid realities during the pandemic, a post-postmodern image of New York. David Duchovny’s ability to master these techniques, as a graduate in Letters himself, takes the reader to discover some unexpected facets of New York today, as they are revealed in Emer’s almost mythical story (Miss Subways) and Ridley’s account of the Covid pandemic (The Reservoir). The image of the city is not something standard in these two novels. It is subject to reinventions, interpretations from its inhabitants / walkers. In both characters’ journeys, the city is alive, fluid and changeable. Walking (Ridley) and traveling (Emer) give meaning to the city. Likewise, in the post-postmodern tradition, we are going to see echoes of the past in the present (Miss Subways), but also encounter the idea that being on the go or restless (The Reservoir), seeing how the characters are searching for themselves, in their attempt to understand certain things. As they do that, they detach themselves from reality (the only way to achieve their aim), giving us a glimpse of New York City.