9 Books To Help You Escape Reality
We all like to escape from reality from time to time; modern life isn't easy after all. The age we live in is one of many distractions, and few of them are good! That's why a good book can still make the best and easiest escape when your day becomes a little too crazy for comfort. Sure, a film or TV series isn't a bad choice either, but a book takes imagination, participation, and a good one can completely change your outlook on life. Stories help us relate to the world around us, and the ones featured below will grab you from the first chapter and not let go. As Ernest Hemingway once said, "There is no friend as loyal as a book."
1. The Princess Bride - William Goldman
Goldman's brilliant take on the swashbuckling fantasy novel is a joy from start to finish. Famously adapted into a 1987 feature film (with a script by Goldman himself), the book sometimes gets overshadowed, but it's well worth investigating. There are princesses, Sicilian criminal masterminds, and Spanish fencing masters, to name just a few characters. The world of The Princess Bride is filled to the brim with imagination, but it's the witty and self-aware manner in which the author delivers the tale that really stays with the reader. Rather than re-read a Harry Potter for the 14th time, grab a copy of this gem and feel your worries melt away.
2. The Ocean at the End of The Lane - Neil Gaiman
British author Neil Gaiman is a treasure trove of ideas. During his illustrious career, he's helped re-shape the possibilities of the graphic novel, penned books for infants, and written more cult books than we care to mention. While we could have easily put most of his work on this list, there's something magical about 2013's The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Despite its shorter length, 178 pages, Gaiman's dark fantasy explores the disconnect between childhood and adulthood, the power of memory, and the search for one's identity. It's a powerful hit of nostalgia and wonder, but being Gaiman, one filled with creepiness and dread too.
3. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
Romance! Mystery! Gothic overtones! This book has it all in spades. Daphne du Maurier's classic has sold millions of copies since its publication in 1938, and for good reason. What first appears to be a glitzy tale of glamour and passion soon takes a dark turn for our female protagonist. Working as a companion for a rich American woman on holiday in Monte Carlo, the unnamed narrator soon meets rich widow George Fortescue Maximilian "Maxim" de Winter and quickly agrees to marry him. Once back to the beautiful Manderley estate in Cornwall, her life soon becomes a living nightmare as she is haunted by the memory of the titular Rebecca, Maxim's first wife.
4. White Teeth - Zadie Smith
A sensation when published in 2000, the novel focuses on the later lives of two wartime friends—the Bangladeshi Samad Iqbal and the Englishman Archie Jones—exploring the multicultural heart of London, Smith's debut novel analyses the often complex and hidden relationship between Britain and its colonial past. A host of colorful characters help the narrative steam ahead as Smith reveals the culture classes going on below the surface, how generational differences can affect a family, and how, despite being invited, formerly colonized peoples often never feel wholly accepted. While this all may seem like heavy reading, Smith's writing and dialogue are both breezy and often hilarious. A fascinating read.
5. Dune - Frank Herbert
Do you really want to escape? Well then, how about a trip to Arrakis? Frank Herbert's science fiction masterwork stands as the best selling SF novel of all time and the first part of the Dune saga. If you don't mind your books to get a little weird and deep with the lore, then this book is a feast for the senses. Featuring rare trippy spices, giant sandworms, multidimensional awareness, and some good old-fashioned politics and treachery - a lot is going on, but at its, heart Dune is a hero's tale modeled on Arthurian legend with some forward-thinking ideas on environmentalism, imperialism, and gender dynamics.
6. Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami
Japanese author Haruki Murakami is well known for his quirky existential tales, and Kafka on the Shore is one of his crowning achievements. On paper, the tale of 15-year old runaway Kafka Tamura might seem like another coming-of-age tale, but before long, we have talking cats, a brutal killing, fish falling from the sky, and un-aged WW2 soldiers appearing out the blue. Haruki's deceptively simple prose style hides a multitude of layers and emotions - weaving together a story not quite like anything you've read before. The perfect starting point for this astonishing storyteller.
7. The Lottery and Other Stories - Shirley Jackson
While including a short story collection on the list may seem odd, the power of Shirley Jackson's writing cannot be ignored. Through its 25 tales, the American author bounces from shocking reveals to moments of deep uneasiness, the protagonists often mothers or women starting their married lives. The Lottery itself deals with a small town in contemporary America who annually selects a member of their community to be ritually stoned to death. This grim critique of 'the greater good' has become one of the most famous short stories in American literature and has inspired many a film and TV show in the following decades.
8. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
If you haven't experienced Martel's beautiful book on belief and life, don't delay. A megahit with good reason, the story of Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian Tamil boy with an interest in spirituality and metaphysics, is a captivating tale. Surviving a shipwreck on a lifeboat with a live Bengal Tiger, the narrative soon raises questions on the nature of reality and how we perceive the world around us. It's an odd book, especially when broken down piece by piece, but it's endlessly rewarding and filled with many moments of grace and a sense of life-affirming joy.
9. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers
Written when she was just 23 years of age, McCullers's debut novel focuses on a deaf man named John Singer and the various people he interacts with around a mill town in 1930s America. On one level, it's a brilliant portrait of small-town life, the connections that bind us together, and how, if we just listen, we can learn a lot about our neighbor. It's broader theme is that of loneliness, personal demons, and what it takes to overcome ourselves, to become part of society, to simply love one another. An often gut-wrenching read filled with memorable characters.