I've been thinking a lot about theme lately.
It seems like every writing advice video on YouTube emphasizes the importance of themes in the writing process. Yet, I find myself grappling with this concept. My favorite book of all time undoubtedly has a theme, but with many books I read, if there's a theme, I'm missing it. And in cases where the theme is apparent, I often don't enjoy the book.
Take The Vegetarian by Han Kang, for instance. I read it as part of a book club and found it boring and pretentious. This wasn't the general consensus of the group, and considering it won the Man Booker International Prize, I can't help but feel I'm missing something—just not the theme.
Interestingly, a clear theme has emerged in my draft for Other Kinds of Monsters. I didn't set out with a theme in mind, but it developed naturally, perhaps because it's written for young readers, and middle-grade literature often brims with themes.
However, I struggle to identify themes in many books I truly enjoy. I'm not suggesting they lack themes; rather, they don't leap out at me—and I think I prefer it that way.
For example, I thoroughly enjoyed Andy Weir's The Martian. I could hardly put it down. If pressed, I'd say the theme might be "Science and ingenuity can solve most problems" or "Never give up." But honestly, I just found it immensely entertaining.
While writing this blog, I revisited my Kindle library to reflect on the themes in books I've read. I must admit, Margaret Atwood's works have clear themes, and she's one of my favorite authors. But if Maggie Shayne's Gingerbread Man has a theme, I completely missed it—unless it's "Bad guys should be caught."
I enjoy Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series, but unless the theme is "Conspiracy is everywhere," I don't see it. Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force series is fantastic, but unless the theme is "Skippy is an a**hole," I'm missing that too.
So, what does all this mean for me? I'm not sure. My current epic fantasy project doesn't seem to have a theme—at least not yet—and I'm okay with that.
As a writer and storyteller, should I reconsider the importance of identifying a theme? Would that be forcing something that doesn't belong? Or should I not worry about it? If a theme emerges, great; if not, that's fine too. I genuinely don't know. Do you?
If you have thoughts you'd like to share, I'd love to hear them. Feel free to comment here, or reach out to me on Instagram or Twitter (X) (see links below)
And by the way, favorite book: 1984!