With or Without You by Carole Matthews

Chick lit seems to be a controversial topic these days. I’m not sure exactly where I stand on the issue, though I have some thoughts bouncing around in my head. Obviously, I read it, so I don’t feel entirely negative about the genre. On the one hand, I do agree that there is a less rigorous literary standard applied to chick lit, but I don’t believe that necessarily makes it of lesser value to readers, literature, or the world as a whole.

Sure, chick lit is easy to read. Most of it follows similar patterns of character, plot, and emotions. The covers all look the same. It’s definitely not “high literature.” But what bothers me is that the criticism of its popular appeal borders on literary snobbery. And that doesn’t sit well with me because even though we might agree that there is a difference in quality between two books, it doesn’t mean that both are not worth reading. If that were true, what would it say about the reader (me), if the books I read are not worth reading? The implicit message of the literary snob is that a person who likes an inferior product must be an inferior reader.

I still believe that every book has value. Every genre has value. This stance is almost as unpopular right now as Nick Hornby, whose article on How to Read incensed bloggers by claiming that people should only read what they like. I think many people subconsciously interpreted that to mean that all books are equally worth reading, that people should read easy (or inferior) books and not challenging ones. I detected a bit of defensiveness in blog responses to Hornby’s article; perhaps it was defensiveness about our personal literary valuation systems. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with the basic idea that I should read what I like. If I like to be challenged, I’ll read something challenging. If I don’t like to read books about war, or fantasy, then I won’t. If I have a cold and am curled up in bed, maybe I’ll read a romance novel.

Now, I’m not saying that all writing is equal (there are definitely better writers, better prose, and even better ideas from one book to the next), nor am I saying that we shouldn’t read challenging works. But everything is relative, and everything falls within an infinite spectrum of quality and difficulty. What is challenging for me might be old hat for someone else. What I find emotionally stirring may be like dry cardboard to another. On top of that, mix in personal preference for genre and style. Then, take into account that the range of quality of any genre is so wide and overlapping that the best chick lit book is surely better than many, many works of literary fiction. Literary snobbery is founded on some very shaky ground.

Chick lit does have some benefits, owing to its biggest advantage over “challenging” books: it’s very popular. Because it is so popular, it is in a position to make a difference in the bigger picture. For example, the positive portrayal of strong women in both their careers and personal lives must, in some small way, shape the way readers see their own lives and choices. In the long run, many of these small differences could even change our societies and cultures.

The other benefit of the easy read is that a broader audience might be exposed to a world unknown to them previously. Hopefully, this would occur with any book (which is why I continue to believe that every book is worth reading). The most recent chick lit book I finished, With or Without You by Carole Matthews, happens to be the first book I’ve read that takes place in Nepal. The main character, Lyssa, joins a tour group for a two-week trek through the Himalayas, and not only did I get a wonderful snapshot of the Nepalese landscape and people, but it whet my appetite for seeing the place for myself. It didn’t take a treatise on the history and culture of Nepal, and it didn’t require highbrow writing or postmodern discourse. It took a simple story of woman who I identify with taking it on the chin and roughing it. If she could hike for fourteen days and sleep in a tent in a life-changing country, I could do it too.

To be honest, I don’t actually read much chick lit. But every once in a while, it is fun to read something a little predictable, something light and quick. Just because it’s not Booker Prize-winning literature doesn’t mean it’s not the absolutely perfect book for the right person at the right time.

With or Without You by Carole Matthews

Tags: books chick+lit nepal nick+hornby carole+matthews