NEVER UNDER-ESTIMATE THE POWER OF A GREAT NOVEL

“A novel is like the bow, and the violin that produces the sound is the reader’s soul.”

Stendhal

When was the last time you read a great novel?  I just finished one yesterday, and it’s still with me—viscerally, like pressure in my throat and chest.  Stirring emotion and uncovering a longing that lives in melancholy and doesn’t want to be soothed.

Each time I open to the first page of a new book, there is anticipation and hope.  “Will I be pulled into a totally different world?  And when the last page has been read, how difficult will it be to re-enter my own?”  That’s where I found myself yesterday after reading The Women by Kristin Hannah—restless and in touch with emotions that are usually buried much further down. 

While there are many great themes throughout the book, the transformative power that friendship can have in our lives is a common throughline.  As I was pacing around at loose ends on what to do next, I ended up texting several different friends—clearly reaching out for connection as I was playing evangelist for Hannah’s latest novel!  One of my friends suggested that I take this excess (normal?) emotional energy and channel it into writing.

So, here’s my attempt at making sense of my reaction to this particular book.

First, the writing is so smooth, and the story unfolds so organically that you’re seamlessly drawn into the world that Hannah creates. I find that there’s an interesting phenomenon that occurs when you lose yourself in someone else’s story.  It’s like traveling to a new place or making a new friend—revealing something new about yourself.  And it feels like a loss to ‘give that up’ when the story is over.

Secondly, my reaction to any good story—whether in the form of a novel, movie, podcast—can turn a little obsessive.  How many times have you found yourself with a few hundred pages left, but it’s midnight?  Maybe some folks have more self-control, but for me, it’s a difficult choice to stop reading in favor of sleep. I find myself in this un-winnable ‘tug-of-war’ between wanting to savor the story or devour it.  Then, it’s over too fast.

Another observation concerns how multi-dimensional the characters are written. Hannah had me deeply understanding and empathizing with the characters even when they were making self-destructive choices.  I couldn’t judge them, hold myself separate or think to myself “I would have never done that.”  Rather, I felt humble and connected to how we all struggle as humans. 

Finally, all of it came together in a way that got me in touch with an array of emotions. Some of us have regular, easy access to our feelings. Some of us tend to focus on the happier end of the emotional spectrum. And some folks live most of life in a state of rationality and practicality.   This book was a tiny reminder that I’m not on the planet to win some productivity contest.  So, while there was a sense of loss when I finished reading, I love that it took me on an emotional adventure that I would not have had otherwise.  And, maybe after reading the next great novel, rather than trying to shake off the excess of emotion, I can settle into it, and let it carve out new tender places in the soul.