Fear of Intimacy

In the descriptions of the few loves that Anders has had, it seems that he is projecting his own inadequacy onto the women in his life. His coming to despise his first love's playfulness could be his frustration of his lack of playfulness. He wants to be more fun, care-free and exciting, but is embarrassed to do so, maybe because he thinks he will make a fool out of himself in front of the woman he is trying to impress, especially in bed. It also mentions his wife, how he grew tired of her predictability. Maybe he was frustrated at his own predictability, with his life as a writer, and husband.

I also think being a scathing book critic is probably a good facade to hide behind if you are someone who is himself not writing anything of much value and significance. He recalls his admiration of one of his fellow classmates and the book he had written, and perhaps he envied him? It doesn't mention anything Anders had written, other than he was a critic. Perhaps he was projecting his own inadequacies as a writer onto those works he condemned.