During a recent conversation, a friend told me that she had abandoned a novel because, first, the protagonist seemed to make peculiar choices and, second, it seemed difficult to even comprehend the protagonist’s interpretation of the world. The novel wasn't written poorly, nor was there anything missing in its basic structure, so there wasn't any hassle in following the story—it was just troublesome to inhabit a character that felt unreasonable. Knowing that this novel is considered good, that most readers do enjoy the author, is important for my next thought, which isn't that my friend should have kept reading because the judgments of the crowd are always correct—not every novel is for everybody, having different tastes is perfectly welcome—but that this novel, the one with the peculiar protagonist, sounded exactly like a novel that she should finish.
Which doesn't mean that the novel will be satisfying. To persist after a little hesitation doesn't guarantee that the persistence will eventually feel worthwhile. What it does mean, however, is that perhaps a little discomfort, or a little confusion, is the cost of understanding any supposedly peculiar interpretation of the world. If a character reveals a new paradigm, some friction along the way is to be expected. You can assume that any novel which is breezy and straightforward and pleasing and immediately poignant is also a novel that you agree with before you hit page one; there's nothing confrontational, nothing outside your current perspective, if what you read invokes nothing more than bliss. And the reverse is also true: any notable novel that exhibits a new paradigm, or that reveals a unique perspective, arrives with a little resistance. To read a novel that's truly fresh will almost certainly feel challenging, disagreeable, and perhaps even boring. A novel that confronts your worldview is the equivalent of listening to a political opinion that you find distasteful—do you try to understand it, to empathize, or just push it away?
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