The Power of Fiction

As a long time promoter of expert readers' advisory work requiring the advisor to move beyond "read alikes" that simplistically focus on genre alone, I am intrigued by this intelligent and insight provoking post by the author of serial killer novels. John Verdon gives consideration to the why and how beyond the popularity this subgenre within mystery and detection offers so many casual readers. His analysis reminds me, once again, that the power of fiction to address our needs to explore truths too complex or frightening to meet headon has been the underpinning of Greek tragedy, Biblical parables (including that LSD-like Book of the Revelation), and government propaganda writers from every political leaning. Narrative occurs in time sequence and it is through time that we train our brains to come to terms with what we wish vs what we know. Chasing through the pages (or screens) of a serial killer thriller gives the read the time to struggle with his or her own knowledge that death is inevitable but perhaps not an inevitable erasure of our lived experiences.