Elmet

This evening,  I attended a talk by the author of the book my book club is reading this month. The book was nothing special, and the only reason I went was because I had bought the ticket weeks ago in a burst of enthusiasm for improving my social life. But, the author was a good speaker and mature beyond her years. She spoke about how cognition and emotion are inextricably linked in a work of fiction. For a work of art to appeal to you (this is me, not her) it has to speak to you on both levels. First, at the cognitive level, because it has to be credible even if its pure fantasy--it shouldn't insult your intelligence. And, then at the emotional level to make it special and human. A good novel draws on both imagination as well as personal experience and also weaves in social commentary without sounding pedantic.

 It was also fascinating to go deep inside a book and listen to the author's motivations. A book has so many more layers than are accessible to the lone reader. As much as I enjoyed reading Han Kang's The Vegetarian, it really came alive in the book club discussion when the others also shared their thoughts on it. Discussing a book with smart and emotionally aware people is a great experience.