Ask a man what novel he loves most, and you can read him loud and clear.
WHEN YOU enter a relationship with someone, you also enter a relationship with not only his family, friends, and pets, but his favorite books (at least you do if you’re a writer). Usually his choices tell you a lot about what dating him will be like—if you’re smart enough to pay attention. I once went out with a man whose favorite novel was Paradise Lost, but get this, I was still surprised when our time together turned out to be hell.
Then there was the guy who called Of Mice and Men the best novel he’d ever read. When I’d show him my writing, he’d say critically, “It’s not much like Of Mice and Men.” I tried to write the way Steinbeck did, or the way Steinbeck might have if he’d written exclusively about relationships and sex, but that didn’t work very well. Eventually, I discovered that Of Mice and Men wasn’t just the best book this man had ever read—it was the only book he’d ever read.
This story is from the April 2018 edition of The Oprah Magazine.
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This story is from the April 2018 edition of The Oprah Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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