A few weeks ago, I wrote about Jane Smiley's novel "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Novel". In the fifth chapter of her novel, titled The Psychology of the Novel, she discusses the importance of the development of the relationship between the reader and the writer and how a novel's basic substance lies within the emotions that are established.
Throughout the entry I supported Smiley's ideas, concluding that the psychology of relationships is one of the factors that defines the quality or anything special about a novel.
In this entry I would like to encourage you to read Strange Meeting, novel written by British writer Susan Hill, which in my opinion is able to portray Smiley's ideas regarding the psychology of relationships that have to be developed in novels.
I read Strange Meeting as a part of my previous school's curriculum. It narrates the lives of two soldiers who become friends while living the horrible experience of the trenches in World War I. I was blown away by this novel. The relationship Susan Hill was able to develop, both within the novel and between the characters and myself, the reader, was simply outstanding. From the first chapter one can feel the characters; well feel for them but also share their feelings and emotions. For a person like me, being able to 'connect' with the novel is the key in defining whether it is good or bad, and if I will or will not continue with my reading. I just encourage you, my readers, to give it a try. Although I haven't been able to find Strange Meeting in any bookstores near home, I shall tell you that I will be reading that novel again in no time.
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