Reflections On "State of Terror"
What I read: State of Terror: A Novel by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Published October 12, 2021.
Mystery and crime novels have been a lifelong source of entertainment for me. A friend who is an avid mystery reader got me interested in the work of Louise Penny. I purchased Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel and read it over a three-night span. Excellent storytelling. Quite entertaining in that charming, low-key, small-town mystery way.
Still Life is the first in a series of 17 Armand Gamache novels, all set in Canada. I’ve already downloaded the second book in the series, A Fatal Grace: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, and knowing me I’ll plow through the entire series in short order.
When I read an article that Penny was going to partner with her friend, Hillary Rodham Clinton, on a novel, I was excited. I knew Clinton was an incredibly capable nonfiction writer. Although a political thriller was a slight genre departure for Penny, I figured their combined efforts would prove successful. It was.
State of Terror is reportedly being made into a movie. I’m looking forward to the translation from the book to the big screen.
All that said, this post isn’t really a review of the book. I loved it. I think it’s excellent story crafting and it kept me turning the page even when my eyes were attempting to slide shut as I read it before bed each night.
Reading fiction in bed is a habit of mine. I reserve most of my nonfiction reading for daytime when I’m most alert and able to wrestle with ideas, concepts, and information in a more robust way. Reading novels and stories seems to require a different, more relaxed part of my brain’s attention and the casual pre-bedtime setting seems to work.
Rather than go on about how much I like the book, and so I don’t give away any of the story, I’d like to offer some of the things that the book’s characters and storyline made me think about.
Let me also say here that reading fiction isn’t just about being entertained with a story. I believe, and research agrees, that “reading literary fiction helps people develop empathy, theory of mind, and critical thinking.” Reading about other people’s lives and circumstances, whether based in reality or created entirely anew, exercises our mental faculties in ways that nonfiction does not.
I’m reminded of something screenwriter Lena Waithe once said, “I’m writing my story so that others might see fragments of themselves.” That’s one of the benefits of reading fiction, to see ourselves somehow reflected back from the characters, to vicariously experience a situation and environment that might help us better expand our worldview and self-understanding.
The central character is a woman who is the United States Secretary of State serving under a President with whom she has historically had differences. Since Clinton was Secretary of State, I’m sure choosing that as the central character was a clever way to enhance her connection with the story. As the novel unfolds, it made me realize that people from different political factions and ideologies can indeed work together toward common goals and for causes around which they can unite.
It made me think of when President Abraham Lincoln, after being elected in 1860, strategically appointed to his cabinet men who were his political rivals and had opposed him for the nomination. It also made me think of the quote attributed to Sun Tzu, “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.”
The modern political landscape in our country is polarized and split so badly that I know the situation seems dire and beyond repair. I don’t believe that. The ideological schism in definitely real, but I don’t think it’s inevitable that it will remain so. Political sentiment rises and falls, waxes and wanes, and I continue to believe that the arc of history does bend toward justice. Although that justice does not suddenly arrive to be left untended. Democracy and good governance require steady attention and care.
So, reading how two primary characters who begin as seemingly diametrically opposed to each other but end up working together is something I know to be possible and necessary. We will never all agree. There will always be political and cultural disagreements. It’s part of the human condition. Reading a story in which such coming together is possible gives me hope and points the way toward my own improvement as a lefty Democrat in embracing a wider view of the issues in order to arrive at common ground with those with whom I might disagree.
Throughout the novel the characters are tasked with making decisions, often quickly and with only minimal information input by which to make those decisions. The crisis the characters are attempting to avert will have a catastrophic effect on the country. In some cases, there’s no perfect decision. A bit of educated guesswork is at play.
The novel’s story gave me a greater appreciation for what our elected officials must go through on a regular basis. Sometimes it’s a minor local issue fixing potholes. Sometimes it’s a major national issue that could mean drastic consequences for thousands or millions.
Amid this reality of there rarely being perfect decisions, we often hold our politicians and administration operatives to a standard so high that there is no wiggle room for any error or miscalculation. One slipup, one faulty decision, and we’re ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater and discount that official entirely.
This is why my own politics is pragmatic in nature. Doing what’s best is not always doing what’s ideal. Arriving at a decision, agreement, or piece of legislation is always the push and pull of conflicting agendas and perspectives. The only good decision or vote is the best one that’s laid before you.
Whether it’s picking the person you’re going to vote for to fill a political office, crafting budget allocations as part of a school board, or making a life-or-death decision, rarely is the final decision a perfect one.
Look at what we’re currently facing with Putin’s criminal war against Ukraine. It’s horrific. The nightmare Ukraine is enduring is beyond imagination. Truly heartbreaking. For the world’s leaders to arrive at the best way to address the war is not easy. So many moving parts. So many potential ramifications to consider. So much balancing of effectiveness against the cost of even more loss of human life should the war escalate beyond its current containment.
Imagine being the person who sends troops into battle knowing you’re sending some of them to their death. Imagine having the responsibility for the welfare of your country and knowing your decision might negatively impact the millions under your leadership. Imagine the horror of nuclear war always dangling as a possibility as you thread the needle carefully to be effective without sparking worldwide destruction.
I don’t think we always have empathy for what our local or national leaders go through when they’re wrangling with tough options. This is especially true for good people who are leaders, people who care about those under their leadership. I believe President Biden to be such a good person, one who actually cares about the welfare of the American people. Others in such a position that I’m choosing to decline to mention by name might only have their own interests at the forefront of their mind and their decisions aren’t burdened by the necessity of considering the wellbeing of others.
The last thing that the novel made me ponder is how insular our perspectives can be. I write this from San Francisco, one of the most liberal cities in America. My city is in California where we have a certain mindset that I’ll call progressive even if much of the state leans conservative. Other states might be less progressive but populated by people who come from a different life experience and background that skews their own views in a different direction. The United States might collectively see things in ways that perhaps someone living in another country might not.
Cultures clash. Religions clash. The democratic stability of countries differ, running the gamut from liberal democracies to ruthless dictatorships. The people in all these places are of course influenced by all of this. How could they not be?
Reading this novel made me a bit more humble about my arrogance that my city, my state, my country, must always have the superior stance. We should never abandon our core values, but we should open our minds to differing ideas and opinions. Without doing so the world will never see peace and opposing political parties will never come to any fruitful common ground.
The story cleverly crafted by Penny and Clinton made me think about a lot of things, but I’ll end this post now. My hope is that if you’re a reader of fiction, you’ll try to consciously foster empathy and understanding of others’ lives and experiences as you read. If you’re not currently a reader of fiction, this is my ask of you, to consider picking up a good novel and giving it a try. I think you’ll be glad you did.
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