Check out the story one-liners on this list from the New York Times of the 100 Notable Books of the Year.
Now is it me or do the non-fiction books, in general, sound more exciting than the fiction–despite the fact that McCarthy and Marquez are there–?
Why would the freedom of the imagination allowed in fiction, good writing notwithstanding since we should in this day and age assume that again, in general, most of these notables would be well written, not be more dramatic and enticing than non-fiction? When we can not only create a character that falls off a cliff and lives but goes on to conquer new worlds do we not write about it? Is our imagination becoming more sterile, more reality based (is there a correlation with the upsurge in reality based tv?) while we seek the most outrageous, the most telling in our real life heroes and thieves?
This thought seems to tie in with a previous post referring to Michael’s at 2 Blowhards on the state of the novel. Maybe there is a reason why fewer people are fiction-oriented. From some of the descriptions on this list, I can well see why. Many of these are just remakes of the same old, same old, which confirms the 8 or 37 basic plot theory, but where is the flight of fancy, the impossible dream, the escape, or the special world of man’s own making where he can control and yet lets the reader go on to explore further by using the right side of the brain?
It is curious, no?
Yet even as I read Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace it bothers me that this is a fictionalized account of a true event. This is a personal flaw of mine I realize; creating a story around fact while including some fact–after all, Atwood is making up all these conversations and even the character of Dr. Simon Jordan who is the antagonist to the real Grace Marks’ protagonist. Reminds me a bit of the mix of cartoon and human flesh in Who Killed Roger Rabbit? I find it ironic that while being given a diverse and contradictory view of Grace within the story by those who have supposedly known her and perceived her one way or another, we are given yet another "not faithfully true" view by this fictionalized story, and will create yet another based on everyone’s given thoughts (of real and unreal characters) to come up with our own version of the lady.
The success of Alias Grace and its appeal may be a culmination of what strikes me about the N.Y. Times Most Notables list: Reality can be more intriguing, but with the freedom of fiction you would have the best of both worlds. I believe that is why Stephen King’s stories were so intense; being home-based New Hampshire, real world and real lives but with one small thing out of place.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology