Reading fiction can do more than entertain—it can bring comfort, connection, and a deeper understanding of others. Discover how the right story can make a meaningful difference.
In an age of endless digital noise and fraying social ties, many people are quietly turning back to books—not only for distraction, but for something deeper. Fiction, in particular, offers an emotional and imaginative experience that few other mediums can match. At a time when personal and societal challenges feel overwhelming, the act of reading can be a quiet rebellion against disconnection.
Books can help us slow down, see ourselves more clearly and better understand the lives of others. Whether you’re navigating your own struggles or trying to support someone else through theirs, the right story can help illuminate a path forward. In communities where understanding and compassion sometimes feel in short supply, good literature may be one of our most underused tools for healing and hope.
At a cultural moment in which, as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace recently reported in an extensive and far-reaching study, American citizens are more politically, ideologically and emotionally polarized—many experts now believe that literature can provide a roadmap for hope, empathy and understanding.
Moreover, as an increasing number of Americans also suffer from poor mental health—about 26% or roughly one in four, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine—and in which Americans also experience loneliness at rates never seen before, the same experts feel that books can also be a pathway to real connection.
And, they’re not talking about only self-help and non-fiction books, they are talking about fiction, which offers a unique ability to foster empathy, shift perspectives and reflect the emotional complexity of real life in a way that can resonate deeply with readers.
If you're looking for a book that could really speak to you, fiction that addresses themes like trauma, loneliness, discrimination or mental health is often a powerful choice—especially when it is written with care, nuance and sensitivity. These stories don’t need to be overly dramatic or sentimental to be effective; what matters most is that they portray emotional truth.
Narratives that centre around resilience, healing and the slow rebuilding of trust can also offer a kind of emotional companionship to readers who might feel isolated in their own struggles, as a novel that shows characters overcoming pain or finding unexpected connections can provide not just escapism, but solidarity. And for younger readers in particular, fiction that affirms the possibility of love, safety and transformation can become a lasting source of strength.
For instance, popular author Dave Covington said of his newly published book about two young people facing their mental health struggles and learning to love, "The Memoirs of Sam and Chastity," which deals empathetically with these types of issues, “I hope readers will be inspired by the characters’ resilience and find strength in the message that love can heal and change lives, no matter how imperfect.”
If you’re in a good place, but you have a loved one—or even an acquaintance—who is not, gifting a thoughtful book to someone going through a hard time can also be more meaningful than it might seem.
While books can’t fix everything, they often help us ask better questions, feel less alone, or see life from a new perspective. Whether it’s through the pages of a novel, a shared conversation about a story, or simply the comfort of a quiet reading moment, literature remains a powerful companion in uncertain times.
If you’re unsure where to start, begin with a book that speaks to something you or someone close to you is feeling. You might be surprised by what opens up.
