Enter Reader

Enter ReaderA young girl’s is instructed by her mother to hide their alien heritage. A clock falls in love with its owner. A nameless character, forgotten by his author, now seeks meaning. Enter READER is a collection of eleven short stories revolving around the many forms escapism takes, penned as a form of bibliotherapy by a lost writer and subjective observer of the world.Each story tackles a different reason and way to escape, from seeking religious reassurance, to fighting for the protection of books during an authoritarian regime. Some of them touch on a still niche topic in literature, fandom behaviors in the digital age, and the relationship between fans and the stories they love. The approach of looking at modern niche internet communities in the era of social media through the lens of literary speculative fiction has remained an uncharted territory, or rather, one that’s rarely been taken seriously. Thus, a hungry audience is being starved of intimate understanding of their existence and experiences. Still, the book is not limited to just one function, nor should other types of readers feel unwelcomed. All it asks is that you, the reader, no matter your background and previous associations with fiction, let yourself be open towards experiencing this book in full and pondering the questions it poses.Escapism is an act we all partake in, knowingly or not; it surrounds us like oxygen in the air. It is crucial that people stop seeing escapism, specifically through engaging with fiction, merely as a way to spend time passively, but as an activity that can help shape who we are. As homo narrans (storytelling humans), we create stories to construct ourselves as protagonists of the world we see, to understand others, and to overall cope with life; our minds are intrinsically wired to seek and create tales. By observing how the characters in this book approach life, aided by the narratives they surround themselves with, it is the author’s hope that each reader can reflect on their own coping mechanisms and relationship with fiction.