With a novelist, like a surgeon, you have to get a feeling that you've fallen into good hands - someone from whom you can accept the anesthetic with confidence.

The speaker compares reading a novelist to trusting a surgeon: a reader must sense early that the writer is skilled and dependable. Only then can one relax and be put under, surrendering to the story as a patient accepts anesthetic, confident that care will follow.

Context reviewed 29 September 2026