As others have noted, the author is no literary authority (even if they were, they'd still encounter criticism, see Harold Bloom). That said, I think these crit

As others have noted, the author is no literary authority (even if they were, they'd still encounter criticism, see Harold Bloom). That said, I think these critiques overlook the fact that Jon Bois's work speaks to _the author's_ personal experience. As a result, it's interesting to see how heavily our personal lives influence our interpretations of art. Perhaps this is no surprise? In this regard, I can't help but be reminded of our reverence of religious texts, which seem to very much reflect the a priori views of the interpreter/translator. The author may enjoy books within the New Sincerity realm [1]. They often have magical realist elements [2]. In particular, _Infinite Jest_ seems like a clear recommendation; or for less surrealism, Franzen's _The Corrections_. I wholeheartedly agree that art allows us to empathize with the lived experience of those who are ostensibly different. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sincerity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sincerity [2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism