The novel has no substantial plot, and instead relies on Julius' insights and "peregrinations" through New York City and the broader world to drive the book.
The book's structure and composition has been compared to the work of W.G. Sebald, and although Open City has "nominally separate" chapters, its lack of punctuation gives it the "atmosphere of a text written in a single, unbroken paragraph".[7] The style has been compared to the structure of a diary.[7]
