I am glad I chose a shorter Hermann Hesse work. This book had some good moments but really wasn't my thing. It was not that the events were too bizarre or distasteful but rather that they had too much conviction behind them. I constantly felt that Hesse was trying to convince me that he was describing the way the world really worked. "For mad men only. Not for everyone" might has well have been a red pill and the rest of the boring normies can go on in their blue pill world.

Feel free to convince me that I should read [b:Siddhartha|52036|Siddhartha|Hermann Hesse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1629378189l/52036.SY75.jpg|4840290] or [b:The Glass Bead Game|16634|The Glass Bead Game|Hermann Hesse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386922806l/16634.SX50.jpg|2959456], but I am otherwise unlikely to attempt them.