I am currently writing a compare/contrast paper discussing Flannery O'Connor's literary works and Dennis Covington's novel Salvation on Sand Mountain.

My question is...

Would I use present perfect or past perfect when discussing Dennis Covington's novel Salvation on Sand Mountain? I am a bit confused because it's nonfiction. Would I follow the same rule as I would literature or would I use the same rule as I would history?

Thank you in advance!

I would use the same rules as writing about literature.