Can fiction be truer than truth? The story of an author who manipulated her fans into believing she was dead has shocked many people. But some think she is a symbol of our times.
The author who came back from the dead
Can fiction be truer than truth? The story of an author who manipulated her fans into believing she was dead has shocked many people. But some think she is a symbol of our times.
In September 2020, fans of US author Susan Meachen were met with a tragic announcement. Meachen's daughter posted on Facebook that the writer had taken her own life.
Meachen was not exactly a global name. Her books were mostly self-published romances that sold for around $3. But she had a small, devoted fanbase that loved discussing her books in a Facebook group, and they were devastated to hear the news.
Then, last week, Meachen suddenly resurfaced in the group. She claimed her family had invented the story about her death, refused to explain herself, and suggested everyone move on.
Fans were in uproar. Many of them had bought extra copies of Meachen's books to support her family. Some had volunteered their time to proofread her last work so it could be published posthumouslyAfter death. It derives from two Latin words meaning after and ground.. A handful had even written an anthologyA collection, usually of writing. It derives from a Greek word for a collection of flowers. in her memory.
Most importantly, many had felt guilty about Meachen's apparent tragedy. Now it seemed like she had manipulated them.
Stories like Meachen's have become more frequent in recent times. Instances of strange and erraticUnpredictable and uncontrolled. behaviour have skyrocketed. There are more cases of people having public tantrums. The rate of car accidents and violent crimes has gone up.1
Some think this is because social media is breaking down the distinction between truth and fiction.
On social media, we present the world with a carefully-crafted, fictional version of ourselves and our lives. So it is no surprise that some people go a step further and invent things outright.
But online platforms also encourage us to see other people as fictional characters. Because we cannot see the human being behind the account, we are tempted to treat them like secondary characters in our own story.
<h5 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong><strong>Can fiction be truer than truth?</strong></strong></h5>
Yes: Living as a human being means constantly inventing oneself. When people make things up, about their own lives or other people's, we should see this as a valid form of self-expression.
No: We need common standards of truth so that we can trust each other. If everyone is just constantly living out their chosen fiction, then we will be unable to co-operate and having meaningful relationships.
Or... We should not see truth and fiction as opposites. All truth contains a bit of fiction, and all fiction contains a bit of truth. We should embrace the fact that our lives are often based on half-truths.
Posthumously - After death. It derives from two Latin words meaning after and ground.
Anthology - A collection, usually of writing. It derives from a Greek word for a collection of flowers.
Erratic - Unpredictable and uncontrolled.
The author who came back from the dead

Glossary
Posthumously - After death. It derives from two Latin words meaning after and ground.
Anthology - A collection, usually of writing. It derives from a Greek word for a collection of flowers.
Erratic - Unpredictable and uncontrolled.