I’ll read novels of almost any genre. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz, a madcap series about a family of PIs who spend most of their time investigating each other, had me in tears laughing. Jodi Picoult, in The Storyteller, had me wracking my brain trying to discover how generations of secrets could force a reclusive woman into the light of day. Rachel Stone had me praying for healing for every person at The Blue Iris. Monica Wood, in How to Read a Book, made me believe forgiveness and redemption might be boundless.
What matters to me is not the genre. It’s not even the plot. I am drawn to a novel by the characters. I want them to be messy and imperfect. I need them to fail and then dust themselves off and try again. I long to explore the experiences, relationships and family history that led them to the predicament on the page. In short, I want to see some part of me in them. And in so doing, better understand myself.
The best authors create just such characters. They take flat, fictional beings and breathe humanity into them. Sure, it’s nice to escape reality with a billionaire CEO heroine, who could moonlight as a swimsuit model, adopts medically fragile rescue dogs, heals a broken man with her love, and saves a quaint but dying town from extinction. But I want to know Harriet who is clawing her way back to reclaim her identity after being unceremoniously left with the rubble her ex made of their lives, as in Harriet in Waiting by Rachel Del Grosso.
What do I, a long-married empty nester, have in common with Harriet? That’s the beauty of well-developed characters. Harriet made me pause and think about what I gave up of myself to have my job, to be married, to raise a child. I thought about the things I loved doing and what I may now have time for. It made me wonder what made me me all those years ago. Who am I now?
“None of us really know what another is going through until that person feels able to share the truth of their lived experience.” CoCo Mellors
The Blue Sisters by CoCo Mellors grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me to the last page. Was it the international lawyer with a history of addiction? Nope. The Paris fashion model who drinks all her calories? Not in a million years. The boxer running from relationships? Strangely, yes. Bonnie’s dismissal of gender expectations for physically and mentally demanding pursuits gave me reason to explore the role my parents’ childhoods and their relationship played in my journey. Bonnie made me wonder what propelled me to pick a rocky path.
“A truly great trainer sees as their fighter sees, feels as their fighter feels. And the fighter needs that support, relies on it as completely as a child does a mother.” CoCo Mellors
Fiction transports us to situations, places, and times beyond our imagination, but even when we are lost in a world or a century away from our own lives, we can find ourselves in the story. This is particularly true of women’s fiction in which the plot is driven by the transformation of the character. Just like the characters we read about, who we are today is a result of our own stories and how we were transformed by our experiences.
Which character gave you a deeper understanding of yourself?
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
In each post, we bring you a list of book recommendations we love. This time, since we’re talking about characters, what happens when old characters are made new again? Here are some of our favorite Retellings.
Rachel Stone: I adored The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd, an exquisitely drawn feminist reimagining of the New Testament.
Catherine Matthews: The Best Advice by Amy Dressler In this fresh retelling of As You Like It, Dressler swept me into the antics of a cast of endearing characters on the first page.
Jen: The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn is a modern version of Emma, but with swingers.
Kathryn Dodson: Circe by Madeline Miller is a retelling of a Greek myth and a part of The Odyssey, that focuses on the struggle of the exiled goddess.
Sara LaFontain: Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey is a contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but with a realistic and non-Disneyfied ending.
Julie Brown: The Alchemy of Flowers by Laura Resau is a modern day retelling of The Secret Garden. I love magical realism in Women’s Fiction. This novel is beautifully written with vivid descriptions of the landscape, an enchanting castle garden in France, and a woman’s journey of healing and discovery.
Rachel Del Grosso: You, Again by Kate Goldbeck might lean more to romance than typical women’s fiction, but it was a truly enjoyable take on When Harry Met Sally.
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