Novels and social issues have been long in practice. The concept of telling a story that beautifully narrates a social problem has a larger impact. For instance, think of Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist or John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
The former deals with Victorian London’s brutal treatment of people experiencing poverty, while the latter narrates Dust Bowl migrants encountering unfair labor conditions in California. These novels are sometimes called social because they depict a story with a social cause.
Cindy Fazzi, native to the Philippines, considers José Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere the most popular social novel. It was documented in Spanish and printed in 1887 as a blistering accusation of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines. This led to revolution and had a great influence.
Today’s Social Novels
The novels and various literary works stand paramount. Reading books changes your perspectives and life; therefore, identifying stories is important.
Social novels have changed a bit in today’s world. For example, these particular subjects it deals with are suppression of freedom of thought (Fahrenheit 451), women’s control over their bodies and lives (The Handmaid’s Tale), and homophobia and toxic masculinity (Razorblade Tears). Now, the primary idea is to refrain from preaching but to tell a story, entertain, and deal with social issues.
At the 2023 ThrillerFest, held in New York City in June, Mosley spoke about utilizing mystery to describe what’s wrong with the world.
“A book worth its salt,” he said, “is something other than the story and plot.”
Cindy Fazzi wrote a story that turned into a book called “Multo,” which means ‘ghost’ in Tagalog. The book is about a Filipino-American bounty hunter named Domingo. He’s searching for a woman named Monica, a biracial Filipina and an undocumented immigrant. Monica can vanish like a ghost, and Domingo is determined to find her.
The author, Cindy Fazzi, cares a lot about immigration because she’s a recent immigrant. That’s why the novel is all about the challenges and dreams of immigrants, whether they have the right paperwork or not. For a long time, Cindy worked on the story from Monica’s perspective. Monica stayed in the U.S. longer than she was supposed to because she wanted to find her father, who is a white guy and doesn’t even know she exists. Her father is an Air Force general and doesn’t want any trouble, so he hires Domingo to catch his daughter and send her back to the immigration authorities.
But here’s the twist: No one wanted to publish the story as Cindy first wrote it. Literary agents said it wouldn’t sell well. Looking back, Cindy admits she was too preachy in her writing. It took her a while, but she had an idea that saved the book. She thought, “What if I tell the story from the bounty hunter’s point of view?” Domingo is a tough guy who chases down fugitives, and he has a sarcastic sense of humor. Unlike the main character, he’s a citizen of the United States by choice so he can make fun of the immigration system.
Changing the narrator made the book feel different. “Multo” turned into a thriller. It still tells the same story, but now it’s more exciting because it doesn’t try to teach a lesson.
So, as the experts say, you should make the best novel without worrying about its “genre” or “literary.” Remember, you’re a storyteller first and foremost, not a preacher or an activist.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.
