Fiction that Makes You Think: Bringing Difficult Subjects into the Light

By Judith F. Brenner

I’ve heard people say they don’t watch the news, or even skim a newspaper, because starting off your day with depressing topics is not appealing. Headline writers want to grab a reader with a fear factor. But what about fiction? I am one of many authors who has tackled difficult, uncomfortable topics that may turn off some readers. Yet, I am finding an audience with book lovers who want to be surprised by tough topics new to them. If you are one to pick up a book that brings difficult subjects into the light, here are a few examples. These page-turners enlighten you along the way, but bring a tissue. 

Book clubs that enjoy deep discussions crave this type of literature. Consider Rebecca Makkai’s book, The Great Believers, a Pulitzer prize finalist. The book follows a group of male friends during the AIDS epidemic that hit Chicago in the 1980s. It conveys the terrors and tragedies of the decade, offering a historical perspective based on fact. Her writing leaves readers caring about the characters and the issue, as HIV remains a frightening diagnosis for 1.7 million children as recently as 2020. Her book gained over 3,500 Amazon reviews.

The Moments Between Dreams, released in May 2022, is a story about a Chicago family struggling when a child catches the Poliovirus in the 1940s. The protagonist, Carol, sees all her dreams put on hold as she contends with an ill child and an abusive husband. Protecting her children and herself becomes a priority. Carol must boost her daughter’s esteem as Ellie deals with shame and discrimination because of her leg brace. At the same time, Carol hides her bruises, ashamed, while she plans a brave escape, knowing Joe will hunt them down if she leaves him with the children.

The novel has a reader discussion guide that helps one ponder how the themes of the book are relevant today. Polio is contagious in at least three countries. The dread, isolation and fear factors are like the COVID-19 pandemic, which isolated families during stay-at-home mandates, and trapped people with their abusers. While working from home, victims were in a cage with a tiger. Hotline calls escalated. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are victims of physical violence by a partner every year. 

Weaving historical facts into fiction allows readers to immerse themselves in a book and care about a character while being enlightened about a topic. It is invigorating to write a narrative that opens up worlds not familiar to most readers. By combining factual information within a story and its characters, a writer can effectively create momentum that leads to a page-turner.

The research required to write historical fiction can take months—at least that was my experience. Procuring information to understand how to write about the draft in WWII was a waiting game for the mailed packet of my grandfather’s military records to arrive. The delay meant I had to write scenes out of order. I poured through archives of news articles about the polio epidemic. I read non-fiction accounts of the initial treatments and surgeries to repair paralyzed and twisted muscles damaged by poliomyelitis. When my mother was four years old, she had a case of polio, and I heard about her struggles, and my grandmother’s, who had a troubled marriage. I researched family court rulings about how domestic violence cases were handled then. I pulled current newspaper accounts about domestic violence cases now, to create realistic situations.

Writing about tough subjects is an emotional journey. Both writers and readers might need a break before continuing with a challenging book. These opportunities to invent, meet and empathize with characters who face conflicting or frightening experiences are rewarding. Readers and writers can contemplate dilemmas they might not otherwise face, seek answers to the big questions of life, and better understand the human condition. 

Here are other titles that may appeal to readers who want a great story woven through family life drama and controversy. 

Author: Jane Ward / In The Aftermath 

After a man’s suicide, the book focuses on those left behind—his wife and daughter, a detective, and a banker who caused the man’s financial distress. Ward explores the heartbreaking devastation of secrets and missed chances as well as the hope and freedom one finds in forgiveness and letting go.

Author:  Rita Dragonette /  The Fourteenth of September

In 1969, mounting tensions over the Vietnam War are dividing America. The protagonist is a young woman in college on a military scholarship who risks her future and family to protest the war. She must make a life-altering decision as fateful as that of any Lottery draftee.

Author:  Judith F. Brenner /  The Moments Between Dreams

A story of hope, courage, and perseverance

Carol misses red flags about Joe’s need for control before she marries him, dashing her dreams for herself and her family. Trouble escalates after their daughter Ellie is paralyzed by the polio virus and Joe returns from WWII. Carol realizes how brutal waking life can be, and she conceals bruises and protects her children the best she can.

The Moments Between Dreams is a captivating story of a 1940s housewife who conforms to the rulebook of society until Joe pushes her too far. His constant intimidation shrinks Carol’s confidence while she tries to boost Ellie’s. Church-going neighbors in Carol’s tight-knit Polish community are complacent, but Sam, a handsome reporter, stirs up Carol’s zest for life. Despite impossible circumstances, Carol plans a secret escape. Along a risky path, she empowers her daughter to know no limits and teaches her son to stop the cycle of violence and gender discrimination.

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Judith F. Brenner owns Creative Lakes Media, LLC, a freelance writing and editing services company. She is the managing editor and publisher of Sharpeners Report, a national publication with paid circulation in a professional service and repair industry. Her personal essays have been published in Writers in the Know (WINK) literary magazine, (available at winkwriters.com), and Minnesota Parent magazine. She completed the Iowa University Mini-MFA Workshop in 2019. Judith is a member of the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and the Professional Editor’s Network. She resides in Minnesota with her husband and has two daughters.

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