The Girl Who Hated Reading

As a kid I hated reading. It took too much effort and any book bigger than a picture book took forever to finish. My mom tried everything to get me to read. She suggested I read Harry Potter, which my older sister loved, I refused. The introduction was boring. She tried bribing me with money if I finished a book by a certain date which resulted in me reading Tuck Everlasting. I can honestly say I don't remember much of the book. I don't think I even read the epilogue because in my mind it wasn't technically part of the main story just an after thought tacked onto the end. I finished it, got my ten bucks, and didn't pick up another book until my mom once again forced me to.
However, sometime in sixth and seventh grade something in me changed. Suddenly I couldn't read enough. I read Eragon, Harry Potter, Leven Thumps, anything and everything I could get my hands on. I didn't just read them, I devoured them, completing books in a matter of days that used to take me weeks to read.
When I finished these series I wanted more and that's when my mom introduced me to the LDS fiction genre. I read Sian Ann Bessey, Betsy Brannon Green, Lynn Gardener, and others. Looking back I remember these books with fondness, not because they were literary genius, but because they told good stories and got me to start reading. Since then reading has become a central part of my life that is essential for my major (English), my job (writing tutoring), and my faith (through scripture reading and study). If it weren't for my love of reading I wouldn't be where I am today and it all started with some children's fantasy and some LDS fiction.

Fictional Avalanche

Fictional literature has always been very interesting in its ability to bring your mind to new places and create characters that may or may not be possible in non-fiction. I think Douglas Thayer does well in his novel, "Will Wonders Never Cease" in depicting common Utah LDS culture through fictional literature.

In Thayer's novel, he depicts a young man's spiritual and physical struggles of being trapped in under an avalanche. It would be hard to use the few non-fictional examples of young men being trapped in an avalanche to illustrate the Latter-day Saint culture as he did. It would be especially difficult to find a young man who lived to tell the tale with such detail as Thayer has.

Generally, I believe that non-fiction has an excellent role in a Mormon setting. We find "testimonies" and lived experiences to be strengthening. Reflecting on this past General Conference, I remember several fictional anecdotes that were used to teach principles in ways that perhaps non-fiction couldn't have. In my opinion, there is great value in both fiction and non-fiction within LDS literature. Thayer could create both a setting and the character that allowed for a very personal interaction with a young man raised in the environment of a Utah LDS home. It may be difficult to reveal the true feelings, concerns, or secrets of a non-fictional character. In this light, fiction could be the best way to bring up sensitive topics with great tact.

Authenticity Liberated by Fiction

            LDS culture is portrayed throughout society in a variety of ways. Fiction is one of those mediums that LDS authors use to portray this culture in a new light. In “Will Wonders Never Cease” by Doug Thayer, a refreshing portrayal of this culture is shown through the eyes of a 15-year-old boy.

            Through the use of candor and honesty, we have a unique view and perspective on the LDS culture, and how this culture handles real life issues and situations. Because of this candor, the story shows an authentic representation of Kyle and his life, and how the mind of a 15-year-old boy works.  For example, like we discussed in class, things like same-sex attraction and sex education are spoken so openly and discussed amongst the characters, that it shows a different way to show the LDS culture and beliefs amongst other people.

            Fiction I believe allows for this authentic representation to flourish over other mediums like nonfiction. Nonfiction is restricted to the facts and portraying the events and thoughts of a story according to something that already happened, and doesn’t leave much room for branching out. While in fiction, the author has the liberty of creating characters and the setting where the story will take place. Then they can show ideas and situations that interact with these characters that show an authentic representation of the character’s lives and beliefs. Fiction, I believe, has more leeway in allowing the author to engage the reader in different ways compared to a personal essay. In my opinion, LDS fiction allows the best medium for authors to deliver an authentic representation of one’s lives and beliefs in the most engaging manner to the audience.

Finding Your Place Among the Stars

Every person no matter their religion must at some point go through some sort of rite of passage. Mormons are no different. Part of being human is questioning things around us and trying to find our place in the universe. Kyle in Will Wonder’s Never Cease is a perfect example of this occurring in young people which I feel was very accurately portrayed since I was able to connect with and relate to his thoughts and experiences.

Right off the bat Thayer has names, and not titles which would be more expected, flying around for anyone and everything. The most startling of which is that Kyle even thinks of his parents by their first names. This shows that he feels out of place, or isn’t quite sure where he fits in and at times he feels others don’t give him enough credit for what he knows and what he is capable of. He is smart enough not to actually call them by their first names to their faces, but you can tell a lot about who someone really is when you can get in their head which is a advantage of works of fiction.

However is all of this truly fiction? I feel that despite the fact that the actual events of this story never happened, all of the other aspects have elements of truth in them that we can all connect with on different levels. Whether Thayer had similar experiences, had them form from his imagination, or has had others share their similar experiences with him, the feelings and thoughts that are discussed and felt as a result in this novel are real to any human being, especially during our coming of age phase. So despite Thayer having Kyle in a Mormon culture, with lots of discussions surrounding Mormon life, I feel that this larger theme of coming of age is more of a universal human experience and not one that is mutually exclusive to Mormons or even Mormon teenage boys.

The Flexibility of Fiction

In a previous post, I questioned to what degree a personal essay has to stay true to the actual events in question. Ultimately I concluded that some embellishment is appropriate for nonfiction works, and even helpful, but the core events must remain rooted in fact. This allows for a personal connection to the author, but can also make it difficult to write a compelling story.  This is in contrast to fiction, which can use almost any compelling story to help draw the reader in and convey a message.

Because of the increased leeway when writing fiction, authors can often forge stronger connections with the reader. Circumstances can be created that are ideal for sharing a given point or capturing interest, in ways that would feel contrived or disingenuous in nonfictional writings. Because the reader is not asked to believe that the circumstances are true, unlikely stories can still be enjoyed. Candor and honesty can still be shown through the use of characters or themes, even as the plot is synthetic.

Doug Thayer uses a gripping plot in Will Wonders Never Cease in which a teenage boy is trapped in a suburban for more than a week. Though a relatively implausible story (he somehow has heat, food, water, and air sources while trapped under an avalanche), this story provides a framework for a coming-of-age introspective narrative that entertains and gives pause for reflection. In essence, the plot is used to draw the reader in and connect with characters. This is in contrast to Nephi Anderson’s Added Upon, in which he uses the plot itself (which follows the life and death of a common farmer) in an attempt to connect with his audience. Unfortunately, the characters were didactic role players in the plot, and it lacked the sense of authenticity of Thayer’s work. Regardless, in both works, the authors used the flexibility available to them through fiction to convey their message in a way they could not have with nonfiction.

The Escape From Unattainable Perfection

The LDS culture has a fascination with stories of those who have come before them. We thrive on reading the triumphs of past pioneers, prophets, etc. These stories can bring us hope and courage for what is to come. However, these stories can also bring impossible ideas of what perfection is and how we each are so incapable to attain it. We, as LDS people, have an unreachable standard of perfection in part because of these non-fiction tales of overcoming the darkest odds.

Non-fiction stories are more often than not focused on the successes and not the trials that led to the success. Questions and doubts that stood in the mind of the people working through the issues presented in the stories are not addressed. That is why LDS fiction is such a wonderful tool in our culture.

LDS fiction gives the freedom to discuss the trials that all normal Latter-day Saints face. In these books we can read about and learn through characters that are often questioning things that many members have questioned in their lifetime. The issues that are generally skirted around can be brought up and discussed because the doubts are not pinned to a real person. There is no guilt pressed upon someone who admits to having faults. We can all feel comfortable reading about an artificially created character because we won’t look at them differently after knowing their faults. They aren’t real to us, so in turn their faults aren’t real either.

Reading LDS fiction can bring new strength to each of us. After reading pieces of LDS fiction we can each continue on with a greater amount of confidence in ourselves because we realize that we are not the only ones to go through this.