sono shousetsu o yomu to, aite no kimochi ga yoku souzou dekiru.

When I read that novel, I can clearly imagine how the other person feels.

Breakdown of sono shousetsu o yomu to, aite no kimochi ga yoku souzou dekiru.

• を: direct object particle
• 読よむ: to read
• が: subject particle
• の: possessive case particle

Questions & Answers about sono shousetsu o yomu to, aite no kimochi ga yoku souzou dekiru.

In その小説を読むと, what does と mean here? Is it "and", "if", or "when"?

Here と is the conditional と, meaning roughly “when / whenever / if (you) read that novel”.

Key points:

• It describes a natural or automatic result:
  
  • その小説を読むと、相手の気持ちがよく想像できる。
    → When you read that novel, you can (naturally) imagine the other person’s feelings.
• It’s often used for:
  
  • general truths: 春になると、暖かくなる。
  • stable cause–effect: このボタンを押すと、ドアが開く。
• It’s usually not used when the second part is a voluntary action or request by the speaker (like “When I get home, I will call you”) – for that, you’d more often use 〜たら or 〜ば.

Why is it 読むと and not 読んだら? What is the nuance difference between と and たら here?