"FROM A FICTION BOOK-READER" in "THE WORDPLAY WARRIOR: Writing for The Unheard Voices"

I’ve always reading, probably since I was in school. Fiction is my number one favourite, despite the fact that there are people (especially those who think they’re much more scholarly than others) find that reading such materials is a waste of time. That’s not what intellectuals (should) do, according to them.
Well, guess what? I’ve met some serious intellectuals who are also hooked on great fiction books – and they don’t even feel like they’ve got anything to prove that they are. Some don’t even have to be (accredited) scholars or some sort. They are forever curious and willing to learn. In fact, some of them are more than willing to invest their whole life – time, energy, finances, and health – all in the name of knowledge.
However, we’re not going to talk about them in details.
I know some people who never mind that I often borrow books from them, although I actually purchase one or two for my own sometimes. Their love for fiction is a mirror image of my own. Not only that, I’ve gotten to hear a bit of history from the books they own and lend to me:
“I bought this in that country when I travelled there.”
“I used to have this other copy at my ex’s apartment and I wasn’t allowed to come in and just pick it up, so I bought a new copy instead.”
And so on.
A friend told me that he’d rather learn about life through fiction books nowadays. Why? According to him, fiction books are sometimes much more honest. You can be as brutal as possible, and if people have got any problems regarding the content, you can always shrug them off and say: “Relax, it’s just fiction.”
It’s also an escape, depending on one’s choice of genre. Perhaps you’re so angry at someone right now to the point where you want to kill them, but you don’t want to go to jail for murder. So you fantasize about them being such annoying or mean characters who’ll later die at the end of the story. That can be quite a relief, although in a more disturbing way.
You can also be the hero of the day, the one with the superpower. Or perhaps, you can also win the love of your life for eternity and don’t have to suffer another broken heart instead. Someone who pays attention to you really likes you instead of just looking for fun. All things are certain and life is always that beautiful.
But then again, it’s just fiction. That’s the only thing it does to you. Make it last for as long as possible – and it all still depends on you too…

R.