Let a Book Annoy You

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The margins of my books are filled with handwritten annotations such as “Absolutely not” and “STOP IT!!!!” and “girl get UP.” These are not necessarily critiques of the story; some are expressions of high praise. Several of my favorite titles are full of characters who utterly vex, agitate, and perturb me. I know I’m not alone in this; my colleague Lily Meyer, in a recent Atlantic essay...