The early months of 2014 were very strange for me — as were the middle months and the later months — but standing out with special prominence was February through April. Tucked among the many, many, seismically important things that happened in that time was a visit from a beloved friend. She gave me this book, telling me it was one of her favorites. It then sat on my shelves (or in boxes) for the next decade. Finally, I resolved that in 2025, I would read it. It turns out I was right to fear reading it. I think I would not have handled it well if I had read it when I got it. It could have been the capstone of my college education turned into a work of surreal terror. You can understand how I, traumatized and burnt out as I was, would not have been ready for it. I am very glad I have read it now. It is exceptional. I have a billion thoughts about it that I will not get to here. I could not possibly begin to get them down tonight.