Fiction Or Escape..? What Reading Reveals About Yourself
We read to know we’re not alone.”
– William Nicholson, Shadowlands
Is reading fiction merely an escape from reality—or is it a mirror reflecting our deepest truths?
For hundreds of years, literature has served not only as an escape route but as a window, too. When we open a book, we don’t merely get lost in another reality—we frequently find fragments of ourselves we never even realized were missing. Whether it’s to sense the muted ache in Sylvia Plath’s verse or Harry wrestle with loneliness in the dark corridors of Hogwarts,, fiction provides us with an odd kind of clarity.
The Comfort of Other Worlds. ????
In crazy times, fiction is our sanctuary. Stories enable us to escape deadlines, breakups, and the brutal news cycle. Fantasy and science fiction, especially, provide other worlds where magic or reason prevail, and justice tends to be served. These are not diversions—they are sanctuaries where we practice hope.
But to reduce fiction to “just escape” is to dismiss its emotional weight. Why do we come back to our childhood books when the world gets too much? Why do we weep for characters we know are not real?
Because stories are safe enough to feel deeply.
Mirrors in Disguise?????
Each time we open a novel, we unwittingly select tales that mirror something about us: The hero’s fear may be our own.
Their ethical conundrums might pose a challenge to ours.
Their growth journey could inspire us to what we secretly aspire to be.
When we read, we project, we identify, and we mirror. We glimpse ourselves through one thousand prisms.
Reading fiction is proven to boost empathy. It activates sections of our brain that mimic true events, allowing us to “live” multiple realities. When we tell others we’re “lost in a book,” neurologically—we are.
That’s not escape. That’s connection at a deep level.
The books that we love tell us a lot about who we are.
Do you find yourself going back to dystopian novels like the hunger game or divergent
Perhaps you’re attempting to make sense of an overwhelming world. Love coming-of-age novels like the perks of being a wallflower or To Kill a Mockingbird?
Perhaps you’re still mending pieces of your own process. Binge on enemies-to-lovers tropes like better than movies or love hypothesis?
Perhaps you have a need for slow unwinding of guarded hearts.
Whatever it is—it’s real. Every imaginary world you enter stamps its mark on your soul. Reading fiction isn’t about escaping. It’s about returning home to ourselves, story by story.
So the next time you get lost in a book, ask yourself:” What part of me is being found in these pages?
~Srishti Joshi
Reality vs. Dream: When Passion Meets the Weight of Life
As children, we looked at the sky and believed we could fly. We didn’t think of gravity, responsibility, or survival. We dreamed. Loudly. Freely. Purely.
But growing up teaches us things we never asked to learn.
We begin to realise that passion, as powerful as it is, often stands at the crossroads with reality. It’s not always about what we want to do, but about what we have to do.
You want to pursue your art. Write your story. Build your dream. But then, reality walks in. Bills to pay. Degrees to finish. Career paths that look nothing like your vision but offer something dreams don’t certainty.
And in those moments, we pause.
We ask ourselves:
Can I really afford to choose passion over profession?
Will this dream sustain me?
What if I fail?
It’s heartbreaking. Because it’s not that we don’t want to chase our dreams it’s that sometimes, we just can’t afford to.
We start making compromises.
We tell ourselves:
“I’ll try later.”
“Maybe after college.”
“Maybe when I’m settled.”
And often, maybe turns into never.
What was once a full-colour dream now becomes a black and white sketch in a forgotten notebook.
But does that mean dreams are foolish? Unrealistic? Childish?
No. It just means they’re hard.
Here’s the truth:
Dreams don’t always have to be sacrificed.
And reality doesn’t always have to be the enemy.
Maybe the solution isn’t to choose one over the other, but to find a bridge between them. A middle path where you survive but also live. Where you work but also create. Where passion isn’t your whole profession, but still a part of your life.
Even if it’s in stolen hours. Even if it’s in small ways.
Because keeping a dream alive even in pieces is still braver than letting it die completely.
Growing up doesn’t mean letting go of your dreams. It just means learning how to carry them differently.
“Not every dream becomes your life, but every life needs a dream to survive.”
~Ridhima Arora