Sensitive Novels about Trauma: A Guest Post by Lynne Reeves
Sensitive Novels about Trauma: A Guest Post by Lynne Reeves
In my new novel of domestic suspense, Dark Rivers to Cross, I take on the impact of family violence on marriage and parenting. I’ve written recently about the power of stories to help us make sense of social issues. And I believe strongly that when the trauma narrative is handled sensitively, without gratuitous scenes of violence or exploitation of painful experiences, readers have the opportunity to vicariously examine human nature in all its complexities, as well as our ability to heal from unimaginable circumstances.
When we read about the difficult issues presented to us in novels, we are able to ponder the questions characters raise for us which cannot be answered simply or tritely. When we truly contemplate experiences that resonate with our own, or those we fear might befall us, we gain empathy. And don’t we need much more of that in our world today?
Here are some novels that treat dark themes with insight and compassion.
Sensitive Novels about Trauma: A Guest Post by Lynne Reeves
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
A deep and moving story of recent times—the pandemic, justice movements and protests—and one woman’s reintegration into her life after incarceration. Written with wisdom and kindness, The Sentence is a story about being haunted by the past, while also forging ahead to live in the imperfect present. This is a sensitive novel that grapples with our political and social climate; it’s Erdrich at her best.
Sensitive Novels about Trauma: A Guest Post by Lynne Reeves
Our Little World by Karen Winn
Winn’s debut novel employs a narrator looking back on her childhood, and the mysterious disappearance of her neighborhood friend and shocking death of her sister. Examining her trauma from a remove, the point of view character shares not only her newfound awareness, but also the ever present role those events continue to have on her adult life.
Sensitive Novels about Trauma: A Guest Post by Lynne Reeves
Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty
I was drawn to these stories because they’re set in the same landscape as my novel Dark Rivers to Cross. Poignantly, and sometimes painfully, Talty examines the present day native Penobscot experience and the challenges inherent to living on a Maine reservation. Unlike collections with different characters in every story, Talty presents characters in new circumstances as the years unfold. While I wouldn’t call it a novel in stories per se, I absolutely came to more fully inhabit the characters’ struggles because their stories evolved over time.
Sensitive Novels about Trauma: A Guest Post by Lynne Reeves
Flight Risk by Joy Castro
A nuanced and beautiful story about the deep roots of love and family, Flight Risk is exactly what I love about a novel. It’s part mystery, part domestic drama, and it is an extremely well-written and memorable novel about belonging. Drawn back to the West Virginia Hills after her mother’s death, Isabel Morales must come to terms with her dark and tragic childhood, reconciling her past with her present.
Sensitive Novels about Trauma: A Guest Post by Lynne Reeves
Tides by Sara Freeman
Though Tides is a spare, slim novel, it is a no less powerful examination of what it means to lose a child and still have to live in the world in the aftermath. The nature of this story is heartbreaking, every woman’s nightmare, and still it’s written thoughtfully and carefully. Instead of looking away from the protagonist’s pain, I wanted to share her experience in solidarity. To empathize with her loss as well as her desire to carry on despite it.
It’s my hope that these novels and mine create opportunities for thoughtful conversation around the relationship challenges we find most difficult to talk about. Each one, including Dark Rivers to Cross would provide your book club with lots of important issues to discuss.
Sensitive Novels about Trauma: A Guest Post by Lynne Reeves
