Most fiction is about individuals dealing with their misery. After all, you have to have conflict in order to have a story. The characters spend the story figuring out how to escape being miserable in their lives, either by an inner revelation or through an external circumstance. It’s the reason we read fiction—to see how the protagonist gets out of suffering and into love, or at the very least, peace.
Why do we do this? Because in the end, we want love in our lives. Love is the place we long for both internally and externally, so reading about other people’s journeys into love helps us experience it, even if only in the pages of a book.
Psychologists have studied how storytelling shapes our emotions and perceptions. Research shows that reading fiction increases empathy by engaging the brain’s neural networks responsible for understanding emotions. Through mirror neurons—those responsible for emotional resonance—we experience a character’s pain, triumph, and transformation as if they were our own. Stories help rewire our brains, making it easier for us to see possibility, resilience, and love in our own lives.
Even neuroscientists confirm that when we read compelling stories, our brain releases oxytocin, a chemical linked to bonding and trust. In essence, fiction physically moves us toward connection—not just in theory, but in tangible, biochemical ways.
I’m not just talking about traditional romance stories, though I’ve certainly written my fair share (check out my backlist to see). I admit, I love a good romance subplot (or just plain plot) in my books…someone needs to be in love with someone, somewhere in the story.
But that isn’t what I mean here. I’m talking about the journey from loneliness to love, from fear to love. It might not look like romance. It might be finding friends or found family as in The Therian Initiative. It might be the protagonist discovering the strength within themselves—the realization that they were strong enough, good enough, worthy enough all along.
We all have days where fear, suffering, and misery feel overwhelming. We see people being cruel to other living things. We hear of the earth being stripped of its precious resources. We experience the heartlessness of corporate greed. It closes in on us, threatening to consume us, sometimes. We need a break. We need a release. We need an escape.
When we read fiction, we see proof that these things can be overcome. A well-crafted story reminds us that love—in whatever form—exists, and that transformation is possible. And the more we expose ourselves to these narratives, the more we start seeing love and hope in the real world.
After all, how we choose to perceive the world creates the world we live in.
So keep reading. Keep seeking love in the pages of books, because every story of triumph and connection makes it easier to find those things in real life.
Katherine LE White 
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