Blog 40
When it comes
to politics, does contemporary fiction tend to eschew it, embrace it or land
somewhere in-between? Judging from a limited (but growing) sample over the past
few years, I’d say somewhere in-between. Now I’m not referring to a work whose
sole purpose is to propound a political position. I’m sure they’re out there; I
just avoid them, if possible.
My requirement
to keep reading when I encounter a political element in fiction is that it
remains necessary to understanding a character. Beyond that, I may close the
book, wondering how it slipped under my radar. I’m exposed (over-exposed?) to
enough politics via non-fiction books, newspapers, online information, etc.
What I’ve
encountered in contemporary novels is a recent tendency for a character to
express dismay over his or her perception of a negative impact of Donald Trump,
whether it’s upon their psyche and personal outlook or their current sense of
the state of the country. (Have I encountered an opposed position? I have not. I
suspect at some point, I will.) What I’m discovering may say as much about what
I choose to read as anything else. At the same time, it must be said that when
I select a book, I have no way of knowing how the characters will develop or
what views they may hold. After all, I’m choosing to read fiction with all the
unknowns and surprises it can (and almost always does) offer. My sense is that
fiction writers, human beings above all, are not impervious to a political zeitgeist, that the latter can
infiltrate their thinking and emotions, no matter their intent in writing a
story. Again, if the political stance is central to a character, no problem. If
it’s a polemic, case (or rather, book) closed.
****
Last week, I
finished Marrying the Ketchups
(Jennifer Close), a novel about a Chicago family, disparate in personalities,
but centripetally held together by the family restaurant, their love of the
Chicago Cubs, and perhaps most of all, a sense of family and its importance in
their lives. Powerfully from my perspective, I found myself drawn to and
ultimately rooting for the characters, always a good sign for a reader. For me,
Ms. Close, through her story, offered what I consider to be a quality nonpareil
in leaving a reader satisfied – hope.
Strongly recommend.
