I think the best fiction, no matter the genre, has moments of beautiful perfect clarity that feel like a palm to the forehead. That flash of recognition mixed with understanding nestled into the page of someone else’s story that helps you see your own world a little more clearly. I love that shit. Seriously.
And to be honest, I almost always find these little gifts in the pages of my favorite authors’ books. But the one that’s stuck with me forever–well over twenty years now–is this little gem from Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere.
“He had noticed that events were cowards: they didn’t occur singly, but instead they would run in packs and leap out at him all at once.”
I remember exactly where I was when I read it–in a long drive-thru line at a McDonald’s with two hungry, screaming toddlers in the backseat and a dangerously low-level of patience and sanity. I was completely overwhelmed by literally everything because at the time, my life was a shit sundae. And all I could think was, Oh my god…Richard. Richard Mayhew understands me on a spiritual level.
Is that the most profound of all of the lessons I’ve learned? Nah. But it is the first time I’ve ever felt simultaneously called out and supported by a character whose life couldn’t be more different if we tried. To me, those character connections are priceless, and I try to savor them.
Be sure you check out Gwen’s post and see what lesson she learned.
Oh gosh, YES. There is so much truth there.
It’s the truthiest!
I love that quote. Neil Gaiman is amazing!!
Yes! I get a little something from a good many of the books I read. For me though, it was Anita Blake that spoke to me the loudest, and most often. As you know, I am re-reading the series. Everytime I do, I get some new. I just finished Blood Noir and the quote that resonated with me this time, “Sometimes it’s not the light in a person that you fall in love with, but the dark. Sometimes it’s not the optimist you need, but another pessimist to walk beside you and know, that the sound in the dark is a monster, and it really is as bad as you think.” Anita is kind of my hero. She says a lot to me.