Shields' novel attempts to deliver a message to authors and readers alike: In order for literature to progress into the 21st century, it is necessary to rethink traditional forms, genres and styles by essentially blurring the line between fiction and nonfiction.
A lot of the books we have been reviewing that have emerged in the last couple of decades seem to fit into this category: The Things They Carried, In the Time of the Butterflies, Marie Antoinette, etc. What do you think about Shields' assertion?
Do novels need to become more history-based in order to live on?
