In her novel Scaffolding, Lauren Elkin explores how total honesty can only take a relationship so far, illustrating through flawed characters the complexity of human desires.
Self-knowledge is not a reliable feature of female sexuality, nor of sexuality in general; it is, in fact, not a reliable feature of being a person. Insisting otherwise is fatal.
A story without badness isn't much of a story, and a story whose hero has perfect self-knowledge is utterly devoid of suspense, making characters' moral complexities essential.
The protagonist's justified actions can lead to narratives that lack depth; Elkin's novel emphasizes the importance of imperfections and the enduring challenge of understanding oneself.
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