Why Do I Need the Heavy Emotions in Books? Exploring Angst by a Gothic Author

I just can't get into the "cozy" romances that are flooding the market, no matter the flavor. (Or maybe Kindle Unlimited can't figure out my personal complex algorithm.) Light and fluffy just doesn't do it for me, like the Hallmark movies that come on during the holidays, it just seems... fake. Snark and humor works just fine, as long as it comes from dark places in the soul.

I want drama! I want angst! I want to weep for these characters! Give me Jane Eyre, the Heathcliffs, Les Misérables! Give me those characters falling into a deep despair!  The forced marriages!

Then I want the happy ending, of course. I'm not completely dark.

But I've been wondering... why do I want, no, need the emotional baggage of these characters? Is my own life so boring I have to live vicariously? Am I so deeply troubled that I can't engage with happy characters? Or is there something else that I haven't figured out?

So, where does one go when one has deep questions about the human psyche? AI of course! (Just don't ask Siri, she's not your friend.)

Here are some potential reasons readers (like me) might prefer high-angst stories, according to Gemini (yes, my friend):

• Emotional Resonance and Catharsis:  The comforting (and slightly masochistic) idea that we can safely experience and release intense emotions through the trials of fictional characters.
• Relatability and Validation:  Finding echoes of our own messy, imperfect lives in the characters' struggles, offering a strange sense of "Hey, I'm not the only one!"
• Exploration of the Human Condition:  Delving into the gritty realities of life, the resilience of the human spirit, and the messy business of being alive.
• Dramatic Tension and Engagement:  The undeniable pull of conflict and the desperate need to know if these poor souls will ever catch a break.
• Character Development and Growth:  Witnessing the transformative power of adversity and the satisfaction of seeing characters claw their way towards something better.
• Contrast to the Mundane:  A welcome jolt of emotional electricity that jolts us out of the everyday humdrum.
• 
  Beauty of Melancholy:  Finding a certain poignant beauty in the raw and vulnerable portrayal of sadness and longing.

So for me, I think the Emotional Resonance and Catharsis combined with Relatability and Validationare probably the biggest reasons I enjoy deep dives into psychological torments. Especially when the characters share the same feelings I have experienced, those feelings you keep secret to all but those closest to you. I mean, who doesn't love crying to Sleepless in Seattle? Who doesn't get a feeling of an empathetic hug when reading about a character who has the same hang-ups as you do?

But these are followed by Character Development and Growth. I don't want to read a story about people with problems, I want to see them grow from them, overcome them. If the characters don't grow during the story, then it's just a story about sad people. Similarly, if ordinary people don't get sad, then... well, maybe I need some of their blood. (Just kidding.)

This, I think, is why I've started writing Gothic stories - and I mean gothic in the literary sense of the Bronte sisters and Poe, not black lipstick. Angsty, difficult, emotional stories, the ones where you are sometimes unsure if the narrator's perspective is reliable, or a product of their extreme distress.

I'm your average middle-aged mom, I am a speech pathologist who works with kids, I go to church on Sunday. I don't cuss (OK, I don't cuss in front of people), I don't drink. My life might sound boring to others, but I don't feel like I'm missing excitement. (Can anyone say introvert?)

I'm probably the last person suspected of writing about the POV of a serial killer or a black widow. But I crave these dark emotions because not only do the stories give a safe way to feel them, but they show that there is hope at the end of the tunnel, not the light of an oncoming train. They validate my own experiences of dark times, past and present, and tell me I have the strength to rise from them.

So tell me, what genres do you enjoy, and why? What captures your heart when you read? Do you agree with Gemini's reasons for angsty readers?  Any recommended books or authors for my reading list?

Give me a comment, let's start a conversation!

Christine Tellach