Secrets

It probably won't surprise anyone to learn that I believe the concept of "secrets" has a lot of power in literature. One of the most rewarding experiences I have as a reader is when I recognize a description of a feeling or a situation that I have, until now, thought of as mine alone. One of the best things that art does is to help us feel less alone.

Art has other functions, of course: to show us the familiar in a new way, to provoke us into questioning our assumptions, to amuse and entertain...