As a reader, you might have probably noticed that a lot of people are picking up literary fiction novels to read. There has been quite a spike in this genre, in terms of writing and reading both. It allows the writers to completely utilise their creativity and play with the existing structures of literature, in terms of themes, dialogues, narration and so much more. Literary fiction has a magnetic attraction because you never know what the novel will contain or what kind of things you’ll discover about yourself. It opens up the imagination to completely new worlds.
Social media has quite obviously been a big factor in the rise of literary fiction. Social media literary spaces like BookTok, Bookstagram have influenced the reading habits of the younger generation. You can always find viral videos of people talking about the plot of the novel that would initially be unknown to the audience, in ways that would pique their interest. These videos share hook lines or quotes from the novel that would make the audience think that the novel is full of twists and turns, which will convince you to pick up the book.
There are numerous authors out there that have written about life with such a creative touch that the story takes shape into something unbelievable. One such book, The Vegetarian by Hang Kang, presents the odd effects of the protagonist’s personal decision to stop eating meat. At first glance, one might think how can such a trivial decision cause the life of the protagonist to turn upside down. It becomes symbolic of a rebellion against the oppressive historical traumas that have benefitted from exploiting women over the years. A work of fiction, this novel held up a mirror to society to confront its flaws.
Orbital: A Novel by Samantha Harvey is about a group of astronauts and cosmonauts who orbit around the earth sixteen times in a day. Not only does this work of fiction literally force you to look at our planet from a different perspective but also makes you question the toll that this planet has taken for human existence.
Works of fiction like these have a groundbreaking impact on the literature of their time and the literature to come. These novels provide at least some respite from the dystopian world we live in today. Needless to say, these works of literature can be enjoyed solely from a creative perspective for entertainment purposes. Whatever the reason might be for you to pick up a fictional novel, it will surely leave craving for some more. If you want to explore a few underrated fiction novels, check out The Bombay Circle Press’ collection.