Why 'The Disappointment' author Scott Broker cut a line from his book

Scott Broker, a queer writer and bookseller based in Los Angeles, says his debut novel, The Disappointment, is now in bookstores. In a Book Pages Q&A, he describes the plot as following a grieving couple who travel to the Oregon coast seeking relief, only to encounter other forces and characters, including a child environmentalist who can communicate with the dead, a method actor, and a tantra-enthused couple. Broker frames the book’s themes around artistic failure, grief, compromised intimacy, and whether people can truly know those closest to them, while also aiming for humor. He recommends Anne Carson’s Autobiography of Red and is reading 2666 by Roberto Bolaño next.