Comfort Reading

Written by Catriona Coote Tuesday, 30 August 2011 13:08

One of my sisters died suddenly three and a half months ago. Obviously it has been and continues to be a terribly painful time for those of us who loved her.  Books being to me what a teddybear (or chocolate) is to others, I turned to 'comfort reading' – novels that carried me into other worlds, other places, other times. My sister was a great reader and we shared a love of the fantasy genre, with its epic personal journeys, tales of valour, unexpected heroes and sheroes and worlds where good triumphs over evil. (Not something you can guarantee in the real world, despite the best efforts of many.)

Reading hasn't just been about escape, lately; it's been about happier times and shared memories. Revisiting Harry Potter (as read by the great Stephen Fry) has brought back memories of discussions we had about where the series was going, what might happen next, which side Snape was really on and the wonderful world of practical and whimsical magic that JKR had created.

Rereading Terry Pratchett reminded me that I'd lent her Witches Abroad when she was in hospital a few years ago, introducing her to the crazy cleverness of a gifted writer whose individual style towers above others in the genre and has attracted an enormous fan base. It was good to be able to introduce my mother to something my sister and I had both loved and see her laugh at the witty writing, eccentric characters and numerous intertextual references.

Tolkien was always a favourite and when discussing which character we'd like to be it was never the beautiful Galadriel or Arwen Evenstar; nor Elrond, with his great wisdom (although we both longed to escape to the peace, poetry and music of Rivendell); it was usually one of the hobbits, with their close connection with nature and the simpler joys in life. Mostly it was Samwise Gamgee – the loyal friend who travels a long and difficult path in order to keep a friend company on an unpleasant journey.

Books, for my sister and for me, have always been about more than story. They've been about sharing; about connecting through someone else's creation; about finding motivation in characters who battle to become the best they can be; about groups of people who work together to bring about change for their family, their community, their world; about ethics and values; about friendship and loyalty; about people.

When the real world was too dark, too painful, too overwhelming, books were, for my sister, a place of safety, comfort, inspiration and escape.

So if you are concerned about the gifted reader of your household spending too much time with fantasy, as many parents are, bear in mind that such books often help sensitive, creative individuals find a way to live with or escape from the emotional challenges of the world around them. Why not ask if you can borrow their book so that you can gain some insight into what comforts them? Talk about it; start a conversation about the great heroes and sheroes who inspire them and how they can learn from those characters the resilience, endurance and strength to survive in a world that is sometimes a challenging place for sensitive souls.