Fiction and Change

Life is busy, right? There aren’t enough hours in the day to attend to everything life demands, let alone take an active interest in your community, society, politics or, what I like to term, “the lives of others”. But if we want society to improve, if we want to live in what we used to call “the decent society”, the first step is to create wider awareness of the problems in our society.

The ambitious target I set myself when I started my writing career was to write great books that made a difference. I write thrillers to entertain readers but also to take them into parts of society they may have little knowledge about. Whether it is the state-run technology increasingly surveying us, our fragile democracy able to be gamed by those with enough money or, as is the case for my latest novel – Weeping Angels – family violence.

I walk a tightrope when I write. Each novel has to remain a ‘pure’ thriller while simultaneously taking readers on a journey. When they reach the end of Weeping Angels, I want readers to say, “that was a great read” and “why aren’t we doing more to reduce family violence?”. I loved the recent review from Terry Toner of Dusty Shelves because it told me I have the balance right with Weeping Angels – “themes the author raised in telling the story – not in your face stuff – just a nudge in the right direction to get you thinking”.

So, why family violence?

Here are three statistics;

• New Zealand has the highest rates of intimate partner violence (family violence) in the OECD.
• 24% of New Zealand women have experienced family violence offences during their lifetimes.
•  Two thirds of family violence is unreported.

As I wrote recently, those statistics should give politicians sleepless nights. I’ve witnessed family violence first hand – it gave me sleepless nights. Yet, like an iceberg, the vastness of the problem lies hidden beneath the surface. I believe fiction, which is storytelling, can help reach a wider segment of society, to be a catalyst for change. Orwell was a master at this through books like 1984 and Animal Farm.

Once we become more aware of an issue, like family violence, I think the right question to ask is – what should we do? I’ve put the emphasis on the “we” as it’s a problem society (we) need to confront. Here are some ideas;

• Contact your local MP and ask what they are doing to reduce family violence in New Zealand. You might ask them to support the bill that criminalises stalking which is currently before parliament.
• Donate time, money or goods to organisations combating family violence – Women’s Refuge or Shine for example.
• Find out more about family violence and help spread awareness by talking to people. You don’t need to become an advocate, you just need to be more informed to help others be more informed.
• Keep an eye on friends and family – it’s okay to ask.

I’ll leave the last word to Dr Ang Jury, CEO of Women’s Refuge. “Family violence is one of the predominant issues New Zealand is facing. The rates remain completely unacceptable, and we know many women are suffering silently. Our hope is this book may reach people who need to hear the message that we all have the right to lead violence-free lives.”

To find out more about Weeping Angels, click here