A life worth living is a life worth sharing. Growing up in a small town in Montana not worth a name, that kind of life is not one Nick can manage, let alone comprehend. When fate gives him an existence he can barely recognize, he searches for meaning in the future he wishes existed, and attempts to escape a past that cannot be told, save for in the pages of a faded memory.
Published: May 15th, 2014
“Growing up had stolen the truth of us.”
A life worth living is a life worth sharing. Growing up in a small town in Montana not worth a name, that kind of life is not one Nick can manage, let alone comprehend. When fate gives him an existence he can barely recognize, he searches for meaning in the future he wishes existed, and attempts to escape a past that cannot be told, save for in the pages of a faded memory.
Melissa Thayer’s lyrical and poignant debut novel, part confession and part wistful longing, is an incisive look at love and loss, and what remains of a soul that is dashed against the rocky shorelines of hope.
GUEST POST
Question: “Are all books required to have deeper meanings or messages, or is being simply entertaining good enough?”
“Required” is a strong term. The beauty of art is the freedom for the artist to do what they wish. Having depth in a book gives it the potential to stand the test of time, in my opinion. But depth and meaning are different. One is the universal appeal while the other is what I term, “the preach factor.” As a reader, I prefer a story with depth. In that depth there will be meaning, though it may translate differently to me than it would to the next reader. That’s the beauty of art, though. Each book has the ability to speak to each reader in a different way. When I have read a story that makes me think while entertaining, though—that’s the Holy Grail of a story.
Even if an author doesn’t intend a meaning, I think it’s possible for every story to have one to a reader who is looking for meaning, whether or not the story has depth. Sometimes meaning is in the eye of the beholder. When two people looking at a boulder, one may see a rock while the other sees an object that has withstood time fairly intact with history etched into its broken side.
As a writer, all but one of my stories (a flash fiction called “Red”) has purposed meaning, but I hope they’re not obvious. I would be embarrassed if the meanings sat on the surface, and I suppose that is where depth factors into it, though by no means do I think my stories are the kind that will stand the test of time. The most I hope for is that the few people who will read or hear them will be moved in their own personal way.
About the author:
Sin City native Melissa Thayer writes fiction that touches upon the timeless truths of the human condition in poignant and thought-provoking ways. She enjoys writing about people and connecting readers with her characters.
She currently lives in Washington with her husband, daughter, and three cats.
THE STORIES WE DON’T TELL is her debut novel.
3 comments:
Thanks for being on the tour! :)
@Giselle
Always with great pleasure :)
Sounds really good!
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