Books Don't Help You Escape Reality!

Because we want an escape from the reality is the most common answer to the question of why we read. And, it does make sense. I used to say that, too. I used to think reality sucks and books help me cope with it. But I realised, literature is not just that. I think we give it very little credit than it deserves. It is a lot more than one's coping mechanism. 

I do think reality is ugly. But books don't always and necessarily always help one escape reality. My friend and I were talking recently of how books can do just the opposite of that. There are books that throw reality at your face. Some books talk of a reality that is far worse than our immediate reality. The awareness that what you just read and felt inconceivable amount of disgust or pain or hatred toward, can very well be happening in some distant land, makes it all the more difficult to process.

Books can help you forget the world you are in. But they can also pull you down to the land and show you the dirt you don't want to acknowledge. Books are not utopian, heartwarming and relaxing fantasies always. They can do a lot more than breaking and fixing your heart (with love). Some books make you question. Some agitate you. Some drag you to the battlefront. Reading is not a warm cozy evening hobby always. It is tremulous and can shake you to the hilt.

This year, I read some of the best books of all time. They didn't transport me to a different world. They showed me the sides of our world that we are desperate to overlook. This year has been the best. This year has been very real. No more fantasies. No more sweet dreams. It's dirt, ugly truths and nightmares. It's disgusting and depressing. But it's real. This year feels more real than ever.