The Secret Handshake.

I recently had one of those great reading moments where the universe seems to align perfectly for the sole purpose of enhancing your engagement with a piece of writing.

Last night, I was reading Every Day Is for the Thief by Teju Cole (the revised version recently reissued by Random House.) It dovetails quite nicely with the novel I finished last week, Americanah by Chimanda Ngozie Adiche. All references of a Nigerian expat returning to Lagos were fresh in my brain. I can see the walls of the compounds, the shady police officers, and the internet cafes, all thanks to Cole and Adiche unknowingly working in tandem. I had a feeling of contentment for having chosen to read the right book at the right time. (It's the little things that make a bibliophile's heart swell.)

Then, I get to a point in the book where the narrator starts analyzing John Updike, the subject of the biography I am currently reading by Adam Begley. So, despite having only read one Updike novel and only being halfway through Begley's book (which is very well done, by the way), I completely understood the references to Updike's style and hometown of Shillington, PA. At this point, I have hit that level of happy where I just have to keep reading because I am having such a great time. I am actually grinning as I turn the pages.

And then the literary powers that be take it to the next level. While I read in the evening, I generally have jazz on in the background. It helps mask the goings on of my neighbors (and prevents me from inadvertently hearing Game of Thrones spoilers) so that I can focus on the task at hand. The narrator in Every Day Is for the Thief is describing how he spends his nights in his bedroom attempting to listen to Giant Steps by John Coltrane over the loud hum of the generators that kick on during the inevitable power outages. And what song should I be listening to at that very moment but Giant Steps by John Coltrane! I kid you, not. My mind was blown. I had to put the novel down and pause to give the moment its due.

This book might have to go on my favorites list for this experience alone. It was like the heavens opened up and the angels sang. It is that moment that every reader dreams of when it seems as if the book were written specifically for you. The author is talking directly to you. You are the target audience. You have gained entrance to the super elite club. You know the secret handshake.

This is why I read.