He could disappear inside that world whenever he needed to—whenever he felt the outside world, and other people, pressing in on him—a pressure from social contact and expectations that was surely routine for everyone else, but affected him much more intensely and inexplicably. But he could also experience things from other people’s points of view and learn their lessons alongside them, and—most important to him—discover the key to living a happy life.
-- Narrator as Adam (chapter 1)

Importance: This quote engages the influence of fiction upon reality. Jenner creates characters that deeply engage with Jane Austen’s fiction, which in turn informs their experience and instigates personal growth. Adam’s character uses fiction to “disappear” from the “pressure of social contact,” thereby creating an escape from his life. And yet, the stories he reads about fictitious characters allow him to “learn their lessons” and “experience things” he would not otherwise. Fiction...