King of Pride

In the text, books represent escape. For both Kai and Isabella, their hobby of reading books symbolizes a therapeutic escape from external pressures. Huang introduces Kai as someone who translates books into Latin for fun, and while writing books is a stressor for Isabella, reading others is a source of solace. Isabella finds comfort in escaping into thrillers. While she, herself, is “lost in life and scraping by on minimum wage in one of the most expensive cities in the world […] at least [she] [i]sn’t trapped in a cabin with a psychopathic husband or on the run from a serial killer who [i]s obsessed with [her]” (81). By reading about protagonists in much more dire situations than her, Isabella is able to put her own problems and worries into perspective. 

The library in the Valhalla Club becomes a literal space for Isabella to escape to where she has the peace required to make progress on her novel; this space is a gift from Kai. Isabella similarly gifts Kai with books for Christmas. One is ironic— a dinosaur erotica titled A Raptor Ripped My Bodice by Wilma Pebbles to counter his collection of highly revered works of literature.