I was checking in on our friend’s cat Friday and couldn’t help but peruse the bookshelves while I was there. Although they were clearly visible, it still felt slightly invasive, like I was looking through the mental version of their personal wardrobe.
You can infer a great deal about how people view the world by what they surround themselves with, especially when those things are books. While I recognized many classic works, anime comics, business books, and more than 30 years of The Best American Short Stories anthologies, one title stood out among them all:
The book was published in 2012 by a guy who could very well have gone to school and hung out in the same arcade or best friend’s basement with me playing D&D. Why this book? Why now?
My reticular activator was on point.
Next Thursday, the film adaptation of the novel goes into wide release. You may have heard of the director; certainly not his first rodeo. Expectations are high, so I decided I’d read the first couple pages to get a feel for the story.
An hour later, the cat was sleeping on my lap and I was 45 pages in, just as if I’d stepped into the OASIS.
Here’s hoping eye tracking technology brings us one step closer to virtual reality.
— The Impostor