Sacred Chickens
  • Sacred Chickens Blog
  • Books, Podcasts, and Other Fun Stuff
  • Contact
  • Merch!
  • Sacred Chickens Blog
  • Books, Podcasts, and Other Fun Stuff
  • Contact
  • Merch!

On Narrative and Comfort Books

9/13/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture


​On Narrative and Comfort Books 


by Jarad Johnson 

There’s nothing quite like a familiar book, is there? You open the cover, and you’re immediately
transported back to a different time. Not only through the story you’re reading, but to the time
you originally read it. One of the reasons I think that we love certain books so much is that they
capture a moment or memory of when we were happier, unburdened, or content. So, when we re-
read that book, we are taken back to that time and to that mindset.
I recently re-read The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (the review of which can be found
here) and it brought up many issues that I felt at the time, and still feel today. I’ll probably
discuss those things here because I like to ramble – and because it’ll bother me until I write it
down.

The book itself was one that I read for a course in college. It’s probably one of my favorite books
to date. Here is the blurb for the book, as it sums it up better than I can. “Harvard graduate
student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation.

But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie
discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing
fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches
Connie on a quest-to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular
power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge. As the pieces of
Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-
ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could
have ever imagined.”

A pressing mystery, ancient grimoires, and bad-ass grandmothers? That’s not a book I could
refuse. I remember when I first read it; I was reminded of myself as a child, the kid longing for
one of his relatives to send him the ancient tome that would teach him all about witchcraft, just
like in the movies. I had a bit of an obsession with witches as a child. That obviously didn’t
happen, but I was under 10 years of age, ok? It was cute, I’m told.

Trust me, if you think I was a weird kid, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet, because I turned into an even
weirder adult. However, books speak to us on a deeper level than just reading a story. Narrative
evokes something within us, touches something that I can’t quite explain. But when we
recognize it, we know this immediately. I knew it with this book, and I’ve known it with others.
It’s recognizing a story that we have within ourselves, and when we love a book, I think it is
often because we recognize that narrative on a deeper level that we can’t quite identify.

Of course, we also love books because of the story. We get lost in it; that’s the mark of a good
book. Fiction can be a wonderful escape from the everyday. If you want my opinion, which you
obviously do since you’re reading this, our society is lacking in so many ways, and we are
malnourished, both physically and spiritually. No longer are our worlds full of myth and magic,
gods, and monsters. The forests are no longer places of wonder and danger; instead, they are a
resource, the spirits and ancient guardians chopped down to build another row of cookie cutter
houses, bound to start falling apart within the year. We are reduced to humdrum, meaningless
existences, ground to a pulp and devoid of any uniqueness. Capitalism is the ultimate predator.
But in some ways fiction and fantasy can combat it, and so must we, those who hear the ancient
rhythms and voice of Spirit.

As you may imagine, I often feel as though I’m out of place in this, “modern world.” Don’t get
me wrong, I enjoy modern conveniences and the social progress we have made (if it lasts), but
the values of corporate America do not resonate with me. Honestly, I often feel as though I am in
opposition to them. Trying to twist myself into someone who could tolerate that kind of
environment and be the person who can succeed there puts a sick feeling in my stomach. After
all, money must be made to sustain me and allow me to live how I want to, but I strive to
navigate my career in such a way that it doesn’t destroy the important parts of myself. Wish me
luck. And get me a drink.

Perhaps I need my escapism more than others. The way I see this world is colored by my
spirituality, and some would argue that this is also a form of escapism. For me, it’s a
homecoming, and never has my spiritual path affected my engagement with the many issues
plaguing our society. Quite the opposite, in fact. As the saying goes, “as within, so without.”
These are things that have been on my mind lately, and I find it endlessly fascinating how books
can bring issues that we’d rather not think about to the forefront. Narrative has a power over us
and our lives in ways that we don’t even usually recognize.

Anyway, I think that you should not only read new books, but re-read things that you love, if you
feel so inclined. And you should also read this book-because I said so. In fact, read all the books,
right after you finish reading this post, of course.
​
As for me, I’m going to disappear back into the misty forest, with a wolf by my side and raven
overhead, leaving you to wonder if I had ever existed at all.
Just kidding! I’ve got laundry to do.
Picture

Bio:
Jarad recently graduated from college at MTSU, loves tea and coffee, and tries to spend every spare second reading. He has been a fervent gardener for 6 years and is fascinated by all related topics and has spent the last several years writing about this passion. He believes that nature is our greatest teacher. He majored in English with a concentration in literature and plans to pursue and master’s degree in Ecocriticism. 



0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    ​BUY NOW!

    Picture








    ​Click Photo above to buy ebook or paperback from Amazon.

    Or order through your favorite independent bookstore!​

    email Julie

    Categories

    All
    Author Spotlight
    Blog Post
    Digging In
    Essay
    Film/Tv Review
    Gardening
    Music Review
    Original Poem
    Original Story
    Poetry
    Politics
    Random Thoughts
    Recommendations
    Review
    Uncle Morty
    Uncle Morty On Writing
    Weekend Reading
    Writing Contest

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    October 2023
    June 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    RSS Feed