Whenever I see someone reading in public, I’ll ask them about the book if it doesn’t seem intrusive (I mean, they’re reading, so I try not to bug people). This week, I thought I’d share one of these conversations, which took place at a movie theater.

Here, in a conversation edited for length and clarity, Lynn in Pasadena talks about “The Wall,” by Marlen Haushofer, translated by Shaun Whiteside (New Directions).

Q. Can you tell us what the book is about?

It’s about a woman who one night wakes up, and she’s divided from the whole world by an invisible wall. She’s just trying to cope with her loneliness.

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Q. What made you choose this one?

I’m reading it because I thought the concept was super-cool, just discussi

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