When I first started writing this article, my mind was on the election and my fears for the future. Now, our reality has become steeped in even more tragedy that has left many in our community reeling. Amidst everything, I found myself turning to books — and the escapism they provide — to cope with the unrelenting sense of uncertainty and heaviness around me.
In moments like these, it can be difficult, dealing with a flood of emotions or maybe even more so to feel them slip away behind walls. There are many coping mechanisms out there, but, in my opinion, none come close to the power that escapism through reading can offer. Reading goes beyond distraction, it offers a liminal space to indirectly connect with feelings and to discover pieces of yourself. In times of distress, I find some of the best genres are healing fiction, fantasy and a subset of fantasy called cozy fantasy.
Healing fiction encompasses books that deal with everyday feelings of longing, regret or heartache, usually offering a reader solace in a world similar, but not the same, as their own. The settings are often cozy and the author evokes feelings that make the reader feel comfort and ease. Healing fiction has been common in Japan and Korea for years, but is starting to make its way into a more international market as demand rises. Some popular examples of healing fiction are Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, which follows a cafe that allows its patrons to travel back in time to confront past regrets, and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, about the library that exists between life and death. I’ll admit I have not yet read Before the Coffee Gets Cold, but I have read The Midnight Library — or rather tried to read it. Healing fiction may appeal to a wide range of readers and offer a cathartic experience, however, I felt the topics and delivery of themes, at least in The Midnight Library, were too real and quite melancholy. I have noticed that much of healing fiction tends towards magical realism that is still based in our world. For me at least, I am often not ready to confront reality in any form even through the lens of a character — their problems feel too real and raw. That being said, many people find immense comfort in healing fiction so I encourage you to check out the genre. A great starting place is Goodreads’ list of healing fiction.
My go-to escape is, and always will be, fantasy. In worlds of dragons and magic, it is easier to temporarily forget the pains of reality. Reading, I have found, sticks with me much more than any movie or show because, in a way, a book is partly my own creation. Books are but words on paper, it is the reader that creates a living breathing world in their head, it is in the reader that the world comes alive. This is especially true with fantasy because it takes effort to imagine something that does not exist. You can live a thousand lives through fantasy and leave each fictional world with a better understanding of the real one. In this way, reading fantasy can be incredibly healing in distressing times. It offers escapism, but also a safe place to confront emotions that may be too raw to face head on. Through the journeys of fantastical heroes and heroines, you too, go on a journey. It is often not until the last page that the pieces fall into place and you realize something inside you has healed. Reading is often an underlooked form of self-care; I find it to be one of the deepest healing forms.
Cozy fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is more lighthearted and has a slower pace and lower stakes. There are usually no dark themes or graphic content and the good guys always triumph, leaving readers with a positive, warm feeling at the end. The settings are usually whimsical and soft such as a magical coffee shop, an apothecary, an inn or a forest cottage. Cozy fantasy offers all the benefits of reading general fantasy, but strays from heavier content, instead focusing on healing and finding belonging. If this sounds interesting, browsing some titles on the Goodreads popular cozy fantasy list could be a good start!
There may be some criticisms of escapist reading as a distraction, but I believe it is not avoidant. Reading is not really escapism. Our fantasies, imaginations and dreams are not born from nothing, they inform and are informed by the world around us. As is famously quoted in the Harry Potter series, “Of course it is happening inside your head, …, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” So amidst all the stress and tragedy on campus and in the world right now, remember to stop and pick up a book.
It is also so important to remember you do not need permission from an institution to take a mental health day. If you feel your mental health is at a point where you need a break, take it. Reading in times of distress can provide this break while indirectly helping to make sense of the tumultuous events outside the pages. Stories have the power to touch the soul, even if we only live within them for a heartbeat.
Ayla Kruse Lawson is a sophomore in the College of Human Ecology. She can be reached at [email protected].