I'm not sure that it's possible to write a novel about people who don't transgress or stumble, people who don't surprise themselves with the things they do, people who can explain all their actions with perfect logical consistency. At least it's not possible for me to write that sort of novel.
Interpretation
This quote expresses the idea that human characters in stories must be flawed and unpredictable to be relatable and engaging.
Tom Perrotta emphasizes the necessity of imperfection and unpredictability in character development within literature. He suggests that writing about individuals who consistently make rational choices without errors or surprises is not only unrealistic but also dull, as true human experiences are often fraught with contradictions and spontaneous decisions. This reflects the complexity of human nature, where people often act against their logical reasoning, and such intricacies are what make narratives compelling.
In practice
In a literary class discussing character development, one could use this quote to illustrate the importance of conflict and flaws in storytelling.
Meg was going to have to learn for herself what Laurie had figured out over the summer - that it was better to leave well enough alone, to avoid unnecessary encounters with the people you'd left behind, to not keep poking at that sore tooth with the tip of your tongue. Not because you didn't love them anymore, but because you did, and because that love was useless now, just another dull ache in your phantom limb.
A big part of me would be very proud never having anything of mine adapted, because if you want the real experience, there's only one way to get it. You're going to actually have to be a reader.
I've written some standalone novels, but a book series allows fans in. There's much more intense involvement.
At the time I was growing up, literature was involved with the so-called confessional poets. And I was not interested in that. I did not think that specific and personal perspective functioned well for the reader at all.
I have said that each aspect of the novel demands a different quality of the reader. Well, the prophetic aspect demands two qualities: humility and the suspension of the sense of humour.
Back in my 20s, when I wrote 'A Place of Greater Safety,' the French Revolution novel, I thought, 'I'll always have to write historical novels because I can't do plots.'' But in the six years of writing that novel, I actually learned to write, to invent things.
I would solve a lot of literary problems just thinking about a character in the subway, where you can't do anything anyway.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.