Our desire to be loved drives us into relationships, families and communities – but not always the right ones. There may be predatory people waiting to take advantage, or we may simply believe deeper connections exist that don’t. Either way, when we open ourselves up to emotional connections with others, we risk becoming vulnerable to betrayal or disappointment.
Stories have been told about this across the centuries because love is among our most prized emotions. We pursue it, value it, mourn it, and are beguiled by it. It has the potential to fill us with madness or settle us into contentment. Its complexity can inspire or consume us. Thus we need stories to help us understand love, or at least to appreciate its unfathomable power.
The main character of my novel When Dark Roots Hunt, Sala, is no different. From the first moment we meet her, Sala is confounded by questions of love – for her family, her community, and her best friend Aten – and those questions only become more complex. As in real life, they prompt her to realise how deeply irrational we can all be when it comes to matters of the heart, and how love can be used to manipulate and harm. She must herself confront opposing forces of love in order to understand who she is, as well as the society in which she lives. I wanted her story to inspire readers too – to wonder whether, in the wrong circumstances, might we all be capable of committing inhuman acts, if love was the underlying excuse?
The raw ruthlessness with which humans strive to protect those we love can be overwhelming at times, and this has not changed over the centuries – even a casual meander through ancient texts can reveal this (Helen & Paris of Troy, Le Morte d’Arthur, Romeo & Juliet). Love can both generate many a splendid thing, and evoke a passionate darkness to rival our greatest fears. Stories can help us comprehend this duality, and given the constancy of love’s power over time, perhaps that’s all we can hope to achieve – an awareness of its command over our autonomy and rational thought, as well as an appreciation of the kindness and self-sacrifice it can inspire.
Perhaps if you come to read When Dark Roots Hunt, you’ll let me know your thoughts on the enduring dangers love can manifest, as well as the bravery it incites.
More #StorytellingOverTime Posts:
- Who is Your Hero – all about the hero’s journey in stories
- Fear of the Unknown, Fear of Yourself – how we find a part of ourselves in wilderness stories
- No One Listens to Change – how stories can test out elements of progress
- The Power of Love & Betrayal – how stories help us understand the complex nature of love
- Monsters are Metaphors – how monsters are metaphors for the dynamics of society – to come!
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