Honesty translates into respect

One of the most surprising remarks I hear from readers is one that I heard twice last week. In both instances, readers thanked me for handling Martin, the obsessive-compulsive protagonist of SOMETHING MISSING, with "gentleness and respect" and "great decency" when writing about him.

To be honest, I'm not even sure if Martin is truly obsessive-compulsive. When I was writing the book, I thought that Martin's methodical nature was merely a slightly elevated depiction of my own personal...