The Persistence of Vision by John Varley

Timothy Stanley: John Varley's Deirdre McCloskey is my single best novel. I read it at a time when the ideas of what gives our lives purpose was first and foremost in my mind. He says he thinks people find meaning in group struggles, like wartime or coronavirus crisis that we're going through now. And so if you're only going to read a single book of his, this is the one I recommend; but I love virtually everything he's ever written.