i literally cannot for the life of me understand people who engage with fiction to insert their own familiarities into it. if I'm reading something that feels the same as what im used to i almost start feeling caged. the only time i really read things related to my experiences is to see someone articulate feelings i have better than i ever could because for the most part reading isnt supposed to be about your experiences its supposed to be about discovering others especially if you're privileged in the global north. i loved reading adiga's the white tiger precisely because i could compare the similarities and differences between the way class works in india and in the uk and possibly examine the way colonialism may have affected that. basically i think for the most part it is better to read in order to learn through fiction than it is to read for fun to be honest like read some fun books i dont care knock yourself out but like there have been bodies of work translated into your language from around the world and you can take advantage of that by broadening your mind with the help of a compelling story and if you turn that down well i think you're making the wrong call but that's just me. this is literally just a string of semi related ideas because its 1am but whatever