Can Escapist Fiction Be Completely Escapist?

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Barbara Taylor Bradford. (Credit: Bradford Enterprises.)

As I’ve mentioned here and there in recent months, I’ve been mixing my more-serious novel reading with a larger percentage of mass-audience and/or escapist fiction these days as I seek diversion from the distressing words and actions of America’s repulsive Trump regime. But of course those categories of literature are not always mostly upbeat.

Take Barbara Taylor Bradford, who was known for best-selling novels starring impressive, plucky women. Those characters are inspiring, yes, but some of them go through some really depressing things. I just read Bradford’s Everything to Gain, and while I enjoyed rooting for its protagonist Mallory Keswick, what happens to her family would not help the mood of any reader appalled at the latest Trump-related news.

Meanwhile, I continued this year to read many novels by Elin Hilderbrand. She is known for what have been called summer “beach reads” — most of them set on the beautiful Massachusetts island of Nantucket — but Hilderbrand is actually a much more complex and nuanced author than that. So, while I first tried her novels with escapist intent on my part, I’ve seen plenty of illness, death, and other sad developments in those books. But plenty of lighter content and entertainment, too, and I always eagerly went back for more even as I don’t get 100% relief from Trump and what he says and supports.

Detective fiction, to which I devoted a separate blog post earlier this month, can also make one temporarily forget the real world — one reason why I’ve read quite a few books in that genre this year. Then again, any novel with crime as a major element can make a reader not only sadly think about the victims but also think about one of America’s biggest criminals, who happens to currently live in the White House rather than in a jail cell where he belongs.

It can also be a refreshing interlude to read very funny fiction. The Pickwick Papers, anyone? But even that Charles Dickens book and most other comedic novels by various authors have some downbeat sections amid the humor.

One of these days I’m going to give a third reread to L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. That iconic novel always brings a smile to my face, yet it contains some fraught moments and a heartbreaking death.

All this makes me wonder if I’ve ever read a completely upbeat novel. Not sure that even exists, and, if it did, I suppose such a book would lack adequate drama. But it would give readers a complete mental break. 🙂

Any thoughts on this post, and on novels that might be relevant to its theme?

Misty the cat says: “Pumpkins but no spice? I turn my back.”

My comedic 2024 book — the part-factual/part-fictional/not-a-children’s-work Misty the Cat…Unleashed — is described and can be purchased on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle. It’s feline-narrated! (And Misty says Amazon reviews are welcome. 🙂 )

This 90-second promo video for the book features a talking cat: 🙂

I’m also the author of a 2017 literary-trivia book…

…and a 2012 memoir that focuses on cartooning and more, and includes many encounters with celebrities.

In addition to this weekly blog, I write the 2003-started/award-winning “Montclairvoyant” topical-humor column every Thursday for Montclair Local. The latest piece — about topics such as a local Charlie Kirk flag controversy and a local bookstore canceling the appearance of a Palestinian-American children’s book author — is here.

91 thoughts on “Can Escapist Fiction Be Completely Escapist?”

    • Thank you, Ahmadou. My favorite living women authors include (among others) Margaret Atwood (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” etc.), Elin Hilderbrand (“28 Summers,” etc.), Barbara Kingsolver (“The Poisonwood Bible,” etc.), Liane Moriarty (“Big Little Lies,” etc.), Kate Quinn (“The Rose Code,” etc.), J.K. Rowling (“Harry Potter,” etc.), and Zadie Smith (“White Teeth,” etc.).

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    • Thank you, Esther! I haven’t read but have heard about “Cold Comfort Farm.” Comic novels definitely offer readers plenty of escapism even if they’re not 100% escapist. 🙂

      I had to look up “The Young Visiters,” and see that the author, Daisy Ashford, wrote it when she was 9 (!!!) years old. Wow!

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  3. Well, Dave, I think that any book must have some darker moments or there really wouldn’t be any story. As with real life, you need the sadder moments to appreciate the lighter moments. I don’t read much humour but even Bridget Jones which I deem humour had sadness and problems. I suppose genre is based on how the author deals with these cycles of human relationships and life.

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  4. Hahahaha! Love the Misty video.The only thing that moved was the camera. Way to sit, Misty!

    Gee, escape hatch books…

    I find many of Joy Fielding books a great escape. They are thrillers, so someone gets hurt, but none of the books are sordid or overly graphic. She seems to find a rainbow, even when it’s not the ultimate happy ending.

    Post Office by Charles Bukowski (of its time) is hilarious. The part where it’s a black out and flooding, and all he has is a pack of matches had me in tears.

    An epic book can be a great escape. 100 Years of Solitude is of varying emotions, and quite absorbing. Still, war in the background.

    Romance novels! Okay lots of escapism there, and romance, and happy endings.

    I just read “Wryson’s Eternity” a period novel by Shehanne Moore. A fantastic escape read (and escape from a nasty husband, you hear a bit about his meanness, and there is one short scene where he gets comeuppance), but – a ball, gowns, female ingenuity and independence, a handsome patient dude, passion (Shey made me sweat with the passion in this & no graphic scenes.) This book was a lovely escape.

    Now, to draw the gown she wears to court!

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  6. Well, I would suggest the earlier Harry Potter’s at least #1 and #2; I’ve loved many of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’s too. Also how about this beautiful book: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy (for kids… but why not?). Then finally from me: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams – pure fantasy.

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    • Thank you, Chris! The first “Harry Potter” book was definitely the most entertaining of the seven, even as there were some fraught moments (at the Dursleys, for instance) and lots of foreshadowing of scary stuff to come.

      I’m not a huge fan of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” but much of it is quite fun. 🙂

      Great mention of children’s books! Some can be 100% or nearly 100% positive by design.

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  7. Your words this week give me to think, Dave, and I probably have to admit that I can’t remember having read a completely upbeat novel, but I have taken note of Barbara Taylor Bradford, many thanks. I have, however, recently read a kind of thriller or “Tell me what I am” by the Irish writer Una Mannion, which provoked a lot of questions in me as far as our personal development is concerned! Many thanks for all your trouble you take for us!

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  8. I know what you mean about escapist reading, Dave. For me, I tend to watch certain movies to escape feelings of sadness, etc. It’s harder, I think, with books — in my experience, anyway, as I’m always searching for hidden themes, subtexts and meanings. I guess reading engages my brain and emotions in a way that films do not. I like movie/tv adaptations of books, though, and find these quite restful if I need to switch off! I’m currently watching “The Girlfriend,” which is based on a psychological thriller by Michelle Francis, on Amazon, and enjoying it immensely!

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    • Thank you, Ada! You’re right that movies can be more escapist than novels — with the visual impact helping in that regard and the fact that more movies than novels seem to have happy endings. As you note, books usually get us thinking more than films do; books of course tend to have more nuance.

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  9. Dave, I’ve also been mixing up my novels between serious and lighter reads, both fiction and nonfiction. I find that looking beyond my usual choices opens up a broader spectrum—seeing not only what’s being written now but also how the past continues to influence today’s storytelling. For example, reading The Bird Hotel recently gave me a deeply personal story to carry with me, while revisiting Salt reminded me how history and resources shape human life. And would you believe—I’m even looking at romance novels again! It’s surprising how refreshing it feels to return to them as part of the mix. I think you’re right: no book is entirely free of shadows, but perhaps that’s what makes them real and meaningful.

    I am reminded of a line from Joyce Maynard’s The Bird Hotel: “All you can do is be grateful for what you get for as long as you have it.”

    Thank you again for a wonderful post and follow-up discussion.

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    • Thank you, Rebecca! Great that your reading has been so diverse! And, yes, it’s really interesting to see how past books directly or indirectly influence present-day books. Also, nothing wrong with romance novels; there are some very good ones out there.

      Excellent quote on gratitude!

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  10. I think I will agree with Liz about Wodehouse. I like detective books as a distraction because they never seem real, so the murders don’t bother me. True life crime on the other hand–no thanks. I didn’t sleep for days after I finished “In Cold Blood”.(K)

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  11. Bradford is one of my favorite authors since I started reading A Woman of Substance. I have read more than twenty of her books sourcing them at Booksale here. I have three series of Anne of Green Gables (#2,3 and 6). Still looking for the others.😘

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  13. I enjoyed this post, Dave an I’ve been enjoying the comments. I remember a woman I worked with telling me she wanted to read something that “just didn’t matter.” I gave her my copy of The Hawkline Monster by Richard Brautigan. She brought it back and said it was on her church’s banned book list. I guess escaping has its boundaries.

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  15. Just like one can never go home again, if they do, thanks to Sarte’s No Exit they can’t leave, ha! So much for life and death. I am currently reading In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate, which deals with true escapism re addiction. It’s riveting. Your blog post gives me an opportunity to offer it as a suggested read though it is nonfiction. Great theme Dave, Susi.

    https://drgabormate.com/book/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts/

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  16. Well, brace yourself, for I’m offering Les dames galantes by Pierre de Bourdeille seigneur de Brantôme. Not sure if there’s a translation in English, but it sure is escapism pur sang, and must have been deemed that in late 16th-century France when and where it was written.

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      • It is outlandish, I agree. My escape tactics have always been (since I was a young girl) to read what is at a great remove from the present. As a more accessible example of an escapist, yet truly impressive novel, I should mention Virginia Woolf’s delightfully unruly and fantastical novel Orlando (mentioned previously on these pages). Woolf herself called it “a writer’s holiday” and an “escapade”. What more proof can one want!

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        • That’s a really good point, Dingenom. A book set long ago and/or written long ago can definitely offer an escape from the present, even if the content isn’t escapist in terms of being mostly upbeat.

          One of these days I need to read “Orlando”!

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  17. Dave, I can appreciate your need these days for reading mass-audience and/or escapist fiction. They come in all kinds of genre, depending upon our preferences. In my view, if the story is devoid of the ups and downs of real life, it’s not worth reading. For my latest book order, I’ve added a psychological thriller, a novel by my favorite Caribbean (Jamaica) author, and Dan Brown’s latest book in his Robert Langdon series. It’s more than enough to get caught up in great storytelling 😀

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  18. Maybe there must first be some escaping for “escapist” books to work… as long as the story doesn’t dwell too much on the dark part. It’s been years since I’ve been able to read or watch most things, because of my “stuff.” The things that are so highly praised come with adjectives that are an instant “No” for me — words like poignant, heartwarming, or touching. I find value in being able to escape. Escapism is very underrated. Anyone can make someone cry. Not everyone can make them laugh and smile. Hugs.

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    • Thank you, Teagan! Well said! Occasional escapism is important for the psyche, but I suppose the most we can hope for from books is partial escapism. Perhaps some other mediums (such as TV sitcoms) can once in a while be almost 100% escapist.

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  19. I’ve just spent the last couple of hours in a post-luncheon semi-coma, Dave, considering the question raised here of a totally-upbeat story; and almost drew a blank. Any story, to seem totally ‘of this world’, appears to need something bad for the characters to rise above and gain a happy ending. I used to read the authors/genres you mention above, some recently, and gave up due the troubling appearance of too many victims suffering before the perpetrator is apprehended and a satisfactory conclusion reached. You touch upon the fact of what a depressing world this can be at the best of times, and what’s happening in your country at present, with the threat of it happening in my own in the not-too-distant future doesn’t help. Not only that, but in the wake of the yearly commemoration of 9/11 I’m reminded of the despicable evil perpetrated on so many innocent victims in that vile act. In the light of all this I guess I understand the trend for fantasy novels these days, a move away from this world into another in a galaxy far, far away: but even that usually involves a fight against some form of evil. ‘Pride and Prejudice’, I suppose could make the grade; nobody dies, or gets permanently damaged, and although Lydia’s marriage to Wickham is troubling she’s too flighty to realise it. I recently read the short story ‘Gigi’ by Colette, as I’ve been watching the musical film for years, and crying tears of happiness at the end, and I suppose that qualifies. It has the potential to go wrong, Gigi being groomed to follow in the family tradition of courtesan, which her grandmother and aunt don’t seem too bothered about having lived as; but Gaston realising that he wants her for keeps, rather than just a season, always brings many tears. Romance books, then? I just don’t like them; too unreal. The film of ‘Apollo 13’ works, and I know they adjusted the real events to assist the feel-good, but it works, and I always have a good cry at that too. Just a few thoughts there, but overall I think feel-good stories are hard to come by. Don’t listen to me, I like Bukowski and Leonard Cohen; and speaking of the latter, I’m being uncharacteristically-optimistic when I say I hope that one day I may play his song with the lyrics ‘Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.’ to reflect the fact. Have a read and listen and have a good week, my friend. 🙂 https://genius.com/Leonard-cohen-democracy-lyrics

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    • Thank you, Laura! I enjoyed reading your thoughts and observations. Fantasy, and to some extent sci-fi, can definitely offer plenty of escapism, but, as you note, there can be some harrowing elements along the way. And, yes, Jane Austen’s novels pretty much always had happy endings, but not until some angst, challenges, etc., have been worked though. And some movies can indeed take a novel or real-life events and make them happier. As for the optimism in those Leonard Cohen lyrics…well, we can only hope.

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  20. I love your musings here, Dave. As much as I sometimes say I’m “in search of” upbeat, humorous reads, I find myself returning to stories (especially Montgomery’s “Anne of Green Gables”) to visit with old friends. Just as you said – smiles and heartbreak but the familiarity draws me in. When life seems chaotic – like now – I’m drawn to “Watership Down”, too. I make a point of rereading it every year or so. 💝

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    • Thank you, Darlene! Escaping into the past can definitely help, including the reminder that we’re part of a such a long continuum that current angst might feel a little less overwhelming.

      And the great “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strip is indeed a mood-lifter! (When I covered cartooning for a magazine back in the day, I met and interviewed “C&H” cartoonist Bill Watterson several times and wrote frequently about his comic during its 1985 to 1995 run.)

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      • Lucky you to have met Bill Watterson. No matter how busy we were in those days, the first thing we would do in the morning was read Calvin and Hobbes in the daily paper. Later, I referred to the book of collected cartoons often.

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        • I was indeed fortunate, Darlene. He eventually became rather reclusive, so most of my interactions with him were in the 1980s rather than the ’90s.

          And, yes, reading “Calvin and Hobbes” was a great daily ritual, and the collections are really nice to have. 🙂 About a half-dozen of them in my apartment. 🙂

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