The Christophers: Dean Koontz on Life’s Beauty and Meaning
- Editor
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Tony Rossi
Director of Communications
_______
“Being less cynical ensures a happier life.” Best-selling author Dean Koontz made that observation in an essay on his website, but it’s an idea that has long found its way into his novels because he has experienced its truth personally, despite being raised by a violent and abusive father. His latest novel, “The Friend of the Family,” continues this tradition with its tale of Alida, a teenage girl with severe physical deformities who is the star attraction of a carnival freak show in the 1930s. Alida is dehumanized by both audiences and the freak show’s owner until the Fairchilds, a compassionate, wealthy couple, adopt her into their own family with three children.
Because Koontz is a master of suspense whose works have sold 500 million copies and been translated into 38 languages, danger is never too far away from Alida and the Fairchilds. Alida’s kindness, however, becomes the heart of the story because Koontz doesn’t dwell on her deformities, but rather on the beautiful person that she is.
Regarding his approach to beauty, Koontz said, ”The world was made, really, for our delight. Now, if we don’t use it that way, if we bring the wrong attitude to it, that’s not [God’s] fault. It’s our fault. And so, I like to write about characters who, even if their lives might have periods of darkness in them, relate to the beauty of the world and all of its manifestations. Alida is particularly drawn, as I was as a kid, to novels, to books as a way of learning about the world beyond…the carnival…Through books, she begins to recognize the broader beauty and wonder of the world.”
Alida’s literary interests reflect the classic literature Koontz devoured as a youth, written by authors such as Jane Austen, H.G. Wells, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and his favorite, Charles Dickens. Regarding the latter, Alida says, “Because of books, especially those written by the wonderful Mr. Dickens, I believed this was a made world with profound meaning. I kept faith that each of us has a purpose and that if we fulfill it, we will rise from even the lowest position as surely as a night mist rises from a lake in the morning sun.”
Alida also made an observation about the lead character in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” noting, “[Gatsby] did not believe this was a made world with profound meaning or that he had a purpose greater than his own needs and desires. Had he believed as much, he would’ve understood that the only chance we have of being lifted ourselves is by lifting others.”
Once again, Alida is echoing Koontz’s real-life views. The author said, “I’m fascinated with people who think life has no meaning because I look around and say, there’s so much meaning in every little event of the day…But I have, even people who’ve been friends over the years, who adamantly refused to acknowledge that part of life….I sometimes say, ‘You don’t see it because it’s slapping you in the face—and because of the violence of the blows, you’re keeping your eyes shut. But it’s right there.’…And so part of what I always wanted to do in the writing is touch upon that, hopefully not in a preachy way, but through character, that shows you how these characters function better in the world when they recognize that aspect of it…The more you open yourself to all the wonder in the world, the more exciting and beautiful life is.”
For free copies of the Christopher News Note NURTURING SEEDS OF FAITH AND HOPE, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org
