There is good reason to praise this novel. In terms of its value to the Humanities, it is a strong reminder that because of socialization and urbanization, humans have unmet appetites for exercise. Although alcohol gave a temporary version of joy and accomplishment (primarily by infantilizing Quinton in his moments of extreme emotion), Muay Thai was an opportunity for him to process his emotions about threat and harm (PTSD) in a way that he could embody.
Through training and fighting in martial arts, he gains an avenue to process extreme emotion in a productive way that leads to mastery. Mastery is an important aspect of his PTSD, because in this novel at least, PTSD is demonstrated as a kind of urgent problem in Quinton's mind that he feels he needs to solve. Having been shown the "dark side" of life as a young adult, he returns to his desires for childlike innocence and joy, but PTSD prevents him from attaining release.
By processing his emotions about threat-detection in martial arts, he solves the perceived threat of incompetence. As a fully trained Muay Thai fighter, he has embodied his power in a skill of self-defense. The reward for his new-found ability to defend his body is that he is free from the chronic need to be defensive about incoming data or new experiences.
Perhaps one valuable take-away from a book like this might be: when feeling emotionally desperate, try exercises, disciplines, and physical practices, because action and accomplishment alleviate emotional pain. Quinton's extreme emotions are his body telling him that he is at war, so by training for combat, he is awarding his body its desire to prepare for battle, even though he is not really at war. Therefore, we know that his experience is that PTSD is a kind of emotional battle for health.
