Acclaimed novelist, poet, and essayist Tao Lin (“Taipei,” “Shoplifting from American Apparel”) speaks about growing as a writer, and growing his idea of himself in a book, including his latest, “Leave Society,” about the blurred lines between life and fiction.
He says he’s using everything he’s learned to try to tell his fourth novel in the most effective way he can. Writing his recent novels has taken his time and energy, in a glorious way. In “Leave Society” he visits his mother and father once a year for four years. He worries about a lot in the world, including his aging parents. This, plus his past, and a new romance, inspire Lin to shift his perspective toward love and kindness.
Read an excerpt from Leave Society by Tao Lin.