Today, I am asking myself, why do people read sad books?
As I lay in bed last night, sobbing for about forty-five minutes through the last 1/4 (maybe even last 1/3) of The Fault In Our Stars, my husband asked me this very question. And sure, I suppose it had crossed my mind before, but not like it did in that moment. For a moment, I was really–miserable–wondering, Why am I reading this? Seriously, why?
I finished the book and eventually fell asleep, but when I woke in the middle of the night and then again in the morning, the book and the characters were on my mind. As was my husband’s question. First, let me just say that this book was THE SADDEST book I have ever read. And I have read a lot of tearjerkers! It even had me crying far longer than Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, which I recently read, complete with sobs and ugly cry-face. Yes, The Fault In Our Stars, surpassed that of the ugly cry-face. And to be honest, part of the message from the book that I took away wasn’t even all that uplifting, lol. It was that life sucks. That life is not fair. As Hazel and Augustus would say, life is not a “wish-granting factory.” But I suppose the theme John Green (I think he’s brilliant btw) was going for was that we should not live in fear of oblivion. We should not live with the fear and hope of leaving our mark on the world and be remembered, but instead, should be observers of life. Don’t get it? Read the book. But, trust me, have some tissues handy.
So, anyway, back to the question: Why do we read sad books? I started this book, knowing it would be sad and not end well. A book with a girl who has Stage IV cancer and knows she’s going to die, is not going to be cheerful. I’m not sure I entirely know the answer, but this is what I’ve come up with. Life does suck. Yes, of course, it can be amazing and wonderful, too. But life is hard and cruel, and because of this fact, I think most of us are constantly searching for meaning in things, whether it be something small or on a broader spectrum. And I think we sometimes look to literature for messages to help us derive meaning from our lives. Books can make us examine our own feelings, lives, family, and even help remind us about what is important. Maybe this is why we read sad books, because although we cry and weep over the character’s plight or situation, at heart we are searching… We’re searching within the story for something. And I think, often times, we do find valuable things in these stories. Even if for a day, a week, or a month, maybe we take our kids for granted a little less because we just read a story about another parent’s loss. Or maybe we manage to slow down our lives and really appreciate the people and things around us, even if for a few days, because of a book’s message. Or maybe we completely relate to a character’s exact situation and their story simply comforts us, despite the sadness, in a time when we need comfort. Maybe a young girl or boy with cancer (and I say young, because 16 really is) will read The Fault In Our Stars and think Hazel and Augustus, they get it. They really get it. And they’ll feel less alone, like at least someone (John Green and his characters) got it right. I don’t know…
I think you can tell this book has haunted me. In a sad but good way, I suppose… I’d love to hear from you. What are your thoughts? Why do we read sad books? What did you think about The Fault In Our Stars?
PS — I chose The Fault In Our Stars for today’s Hollywood Dream Cast on The Serious Reader. You can see it here: http://www.theseriousreader.org/1/post/2013/01/hollywood-dream-cast-for-the-fault-in-our-stars.html
