What is unrealistic fiction?
When thinking about genres of literature, one usually thinks things such as:
“I don’t really like science fiction” or “All I really ever read is non-fiction” or “I love that mystery writer.” Book publishers have developed elaborate algorithms using artificial intelligence to chart who buys what type of book, how many pages the book should have and what subjects are most likable. Some books, however, defy classification. The following two books are good examples. Neither is likely to win a literary award or be on the best-seller list, but they are certainly worthwhile reads. And in each book a very endearing animal character that behaves just a bit unrealistically to ‘save the day.’ If you have pets and/or love animals, this little quirk will not bother you are all!
The first one, Lessons in Chemistry, is one that I just finished reading. The story is set in the 1960’s so the question of a woman scientist and the way she is mistreated is somewhat dated, at least I hope so. What is most entertaining, however, is a child character who is a prodigy and a dog who is a hero. A host of other characters liven up the story and it all turns out just fine in the end. I read the book in a day even though it has 386 pages. You will not want to put it down once you start it!!
Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus
Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel, Shelby Van Pelt
I am going to read this book next!! Maybe you have seen articles extolling the brilliance of octopuses. It turns out that they actually are quite smart and seem to have intelligence equal to that of a dog. One reason most people don’t know this is because octopuses stay down in the bottom of ocean, usually hidden from view. In Remarkably Bright Creatures, however, this octopus lives in an aquarium and befriends a night custodian who is trying to solve the strange disappearance of her son.