I’m glad I read VALIS after reading other Dick books — it provides a lot of interesting context to his frame of mind & life while writing many of his books. It’ll be interesting to revisit some of his works with this knowledge in mind, and draw more connections between the themes of this book and those of his others. VALIS is difficult to parse at times, but I don’t think it’s meant to be easy to understand. Dick’s/Fat’s struggles with delusion and trauma result in confusing or nonsensical mentalities & actions Dick himself struggles to interpret; I think that trying to find meaning in these struggles as a reader makes the book tougher to experience, and might turn many readers off of it in the first few chapters. I had to come back to this book after a short break because I was reaching too far to find metaphors in the madness. However, the intimate exploration of religious delusion and mental illness is extremely impactful and I find this book very powerful. It provides excellent insight into the way in which drug abuse and long-standing grief/trauma can impact someone’s mind. VALIS is up there with my favourite Dick books. It’s thought provoking and a challenging read. This is definitely a book you need to read multiple times to appreciate its full experience.