Adam

Adam is one of the novel’s central characters. He appears to be based in part on the book’s author, Ben Lerner. Adam was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas. At age eight, he fell and suffered a concussion, which left him temporarily unable to recognize his parents. In his teenage years, he occasionally had episodes of glossolalia, meaning he would uncontrollably speak words that had no clear meaning altogether. In high school, he competed in speech and debate competitions, and he was quite skilled. He even won a national championship in his senior year of high school. He also became interested in poetry in his teenage years, but he was embarrassed of this interest and largely kept it secret.

While in college, he dated a young woman who left him for someone else while she was studying abroad. Adam was quite distraught at this betrayal, but...