by Jenny Hilborne, mystery/thriller author
“What is the main theme or message of the
book?”
I heard this question quite a bit on a
booth I shared with 5 other authors at the LA Festival of Books this past April. I’ll admit it had me a bit stumped and I had to scramble for an answer. Madness and Murder has a theme of second
chances woven through it, although I wasn’t actually aware of this until a
reader pointed it out in a review.
When I start writing a new novel, I have a
main plot in mind and a possible working title, and that’s it. I definitely
don’t have any kind of message or theme on my mind. If I'm honest, I don’t intend to
convey any kind of message in my novels. I write to entertain rather than to
educate. One reason for this is that I can’t be sure my message, should I
decide to send one, would be interpreted in the way I intended.
I’d like to pose a question to readers: how
important is it for a novel, a work of fiction, to carry a message? Does it
need to be moralistic?
I read fiction (thrillers) because I like to be
entertained and I enjoy trying to solve the mystery. I’ve never thought much
about whether there was a message in the books I read, and it doesn’t spoil my
enjoyment if there isn’t one. Having just read (and loved) To Kill A
Mockingbird, I’m not so sure anymore. I believe books with a message are more
memorable and stay with the reader for longer. These are the books that generate
conversation, which creates interest and spreads the word among the reading
community. Without a message, does
the book stand a chance of breaking out from the ever-growing crowd?
I’ve read books by authors who use their
work to express themselves and their personal opinions, be it politics,
religion, whatever. I tend to shy away from those. As a reader of fiction, I
don’t want to know the author's opinion on a subject and have it slant the
outcome of the novel, or have it shoved down my throat. I just want a good
story. After a little thought on the subject, I'd say I'm of the opinion a message is fine, good even, as long as it's not too intense, but I don't care if there isn't one. How do you feel about it? Do you feel let down if there is no underlying message?
