You're Reading That?

As I writer, I always have my nose buried in some book - usually a work of literary fiction (my favorite genre). My husband, who is not an avid reader like myself, will often ask me about the book that has so much of my attention. His response is almost always the same: "What's so interesting about that?"

Why, for example, would a thirty-six year-old, healthy woman be reading a story about a fifty-year old who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers? Why should I care if some gay guy can talk pretty one day? So what that there's a guy who runs kites (whatever that is) in Afghanistan. Who cares!?

Well, thankfully, a lot of people care. Readers care. Not so much about the topic of the story itself, but about the human condition. We were put on this world to live in community. We crave connections. We were made to have feelings and to regularly express them. When we keep our feelings behind lock and key for too long, they eventually explode out of us in a less-than-appropriate way.

A character in my novel, Forest to Fenix, sums this up when, on her deathbed, she writes to her daughter:

"Now, Kallie, my life is spent—frantic wasted energy burned for the sake of numbness – because being numb seemed a better option to me than being alive with sadness and regret. Denial seemed far better than truth. I realize now that the very thing that motivated me to run is what gives me fullness and peace in this moment today. It is the absolute knowledge that pain is a necessary part of life; that it must be felt and dealt with for any kind of healing to take place. I am only human, Kal, as are you; and the human body can only hold on to so much emotion at any given point in time. Our souls are contained in these tiny earthly bodies and, without release, they will implode."

True, we cannot hold our emotions inside - we all need some kind of outlet. For many, emotional release comes from listening to a piece of music, watching the ballet, or visiting an art gallery. For me, the pages of a book are my freedom. A good book allows me to feel every emotion I am capable of - and it is cleansing and rewarding. A good book - regardless of the plot or storyline, regardless of whether it ends happily or in tragedy - a really good book makes me feel human . . . connected . . . alive.