We are driven by a narrative arch. We are constantly telling stories about our own lives, our circumstances, what the other person was thinking about us and how our lives could become better. And, as in any other field, we look to the best of the profession- storytellers- that will coax us into other stories and give us a completely different viewpoint by the end of it. This seduction is all relative to the reader. Readers are drawn to books that resonate with the confused parts of their souls, preferably books that make a success of all of these parts against all odds.

C.S. Lewis dedicated his classic series “The Chronicles of Narnia” with a sweet inscription to his goddaughter. “Someday,” he writes, “you will be old enough to read fairytales again.”

It’s clear to see that Lewis sees fiction not as a luring escape, but as an essential component of our humanity. Something, he suggests, will eventually draw us back to fairytales. Maybe it’s hungry imagination. Maybe it’s distress. Maybe it’s loneliness.

Many research papers have proven that those who grew up reading fiction have a deeper ability to empathize with other humans. This has to do with the ability of the reader to plunge into the viewpoints of each protagonist; stepping into the cockpit of another person’s mind- even if that person is fictional. When readers become truly involved with the unique circumstances of a character, they get a close look at how circumstances and feelings affect this character. The reader’s mind stores this memory as a very real experience, and when a reader comes across a person with a similar story, the mind retrieves this as something he or she once felt too.

In real life, this translates into relatableness. Stories show us that we are all connected. The human experience comes with a range of emotions and situations; we want adventure, bravery, get frustrated, are devastated, feel crazy and have driving passions. When we read our deepest fears spelled out in a character sketch, or find similar weighty secrets in a library book, we find a connection. We find that we are less strange and more normal. We find that we are not alone.

In our loneliest hours, we hold books towards the light as evidence, evidence that other people feel this too.

G.K. Chesterton famously wrote, “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” Chesterton was a brilliant storyteller and understood what we storytelling humans always knew -- every story follows a trajectory. The plot contains desire, hardship in trying to satisfy the desire, and a conclusion that relates to the beginning. This is our default mode. We want our lives to make sense at the end. Fiction books are a way for us to tell a new story to ourselves -- one about hope and bravery and the apex still to come.

In a rapidly developing world, fiction can be ignored and demeaned. Still, a story exists in everything. Every science discovery and technological invention had a backstory of why its pioneer pursued it. Every mathematical equation exists within the context of a larger story. Academia may teach information, but fairytales teach stories; fiction shows why that information matters, what it means in the grand scheme of things, and fuels the imagination with unique ways to work towards a denouement. Facts may make us smart, but stories keep us human.