Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
Fiction is so vitally important to my mental well being.
It’s more truthful than non-fiction, in my opinion, the latter of which is generally some sparse facts loosely supported by scientific studies and skewed statistics, and a whole lot of marshmallow fluff in between – anecdotes, personal case studies, etc.
Well written fiction is generally told by the well read and very observant. The ultimate goal of most fiction writers is to be read, rather than to earn a quick buck or make a fortune in related sales and speaking engagements.
One of the best gifts fiction gives it’s readers is an opposing perspective.
Why does this character say this or do that? It helps to explain why people sometimes behave opposite their thoughts, and how that’s misinterpreted.
For example, in Dean Koontz’s Fear Nothing, the lead character, Christopher Snow, has just had his father die from a long terminal illness. He discovers that his father’s body has been switched with a homeless man’s, and his father’s body taken to a military facility. Snow goes to the funeral home and asks to view his father’s body one last time, and is told that he is too late, his father’s body has already been put into the furnace:
I was embarrassed by Sandy’s deceit, as though it shamed not merely him, but also me, and I couldn’t meet his obsidian stare any longer. I lowered my head and gazed at the porch floor.
Mistaking my embarrassment for tongue-binding grief, he stepped onto the porch and put one hand on my shoulder.
I managed not to recoil.
This detail where the antagonist’s dishonesty results in the protagonist being unable to look him in the eye due to his empathy and shame for the other person, really struck me. I had to stop reading for a moment to consider how I have responded to dishonesty and bare-faced betrayal in the past.
When it’s so outright, and there’s no room for doubt, there is a sense of embarrassment. And humility in the fact that you have been so easily lied to, and considered so unimportant that it would be easy to betray you. You feel ashamed for having been betrayed. This isn’t something a person is likely to discover reading a non-fiction book. It’s the type of truth and self discovery that only narrative can provide.
Lecture over – if you’re interested in reading this book, know that it’s a two-part series:
This is a two-part thriller, with clear distinctions between good guys vs bad guys. We’re not put in the head of the antagonist and meant to understand how and why they come to their actions, it’s definite white hat vs black hat, although there are some side characters where we do get that sense of them choosing sides, and there motivations. It’s classic Koontz, and as such, a very addictive storyline with likable characters.
Fear Nothing is first, followed by Seize the Night.
Happy reading.
Best,
McKee