We need a good falsehood, told in interesting prose, harmful to no one, and recognized as less than true. It’s a fact–we need fiction.
Facts, or what passes as facts, bombard our eyes and ears. We grow tired of it. We need escape. We pick up a book of fiction, find a world different from our own, yet recognizable and welcome. Thank goodness for the gift of reading.
Through the years, books have been with me in difficult situations. Waiting in hospital rooms, plane trips, long cars rides, have all been made more enjoyable when I had a book in hand.
Fiction is not only diverting and entertaining, it’s also educational, in a fun sort of way. I’ve found answers to questions in my own life, a friend who understands just what I’m feeling, facts hidden within fantasy.
In this time more than ever, we need armchair vacations and friends who are forever loyal and near at hand. Truth is well and good but sometimes it is unrecognizable and confusing. Fiction is just that. It is less than true yet true to its name–thank goodness for good fiction.
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