--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In my mind what novels do best is that…" description: "\"In my mind what novels do best is that they immerse us deeply into our character's world - they truly transport us deep into these spaces - but the sam..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/junot-diaz-531_books_in-my-mind-what-novels-do-best-is-that-t_1319926.jpg" --- # In my mind what novels do best is that they immerse us… ![“In my mind what novels do best is that they immerse us deeply into our character's world - they truly transport us deep into these spaces - but the same way you know a Hollywood movie won't end after thirty minutes, you carry in yourself the implicit contract that the novel won't throw you out of…” quote by Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/junot-diaz-531_books_in-my-mind-what-novels-do-best-is-that-t_1319926.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/junot-diaz-531_books_in-my-mind-what-novels-do-best-is-that-t_1319926.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db9/junot-diaz-531_books_in-my-mind-what-novels-do-best-is-that-t_1319926.jpg) > “In my mind what novels do best is that they immerse us deeply into our character's world - they truly transport us deep into these spaces - but the same way you know a Hollywood movie won't end after thirty minutes, you carry in yourself the implicit contract that the novel won't throw you out of itself 'til the very end. That bulk of pages is a form of consolation, of security.” [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Novels provide deep immersion, creating a lasting bond that keeps readers engaged until the end, offering comfort and security. **In simple terms:** Novels immerse readers, creating lasting comfort. Key Takeaway Embrace full reading for deeper connection. Themes immersion commitment comfort security storytelling Mood reflective introspective comforted Type literary philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - reading a novel - long‑form storytelling - creative writing workshops - book clubs - literary analysis Key Concepts narrative depth psychological contract reader engagement Questions to Reflect On - How does immersion affect your empathy? - What makes a story feel like a safe space? A Different Perspective Some readers may prefer visual media for quicker gratification, limiting the novel’s impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Consolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consolation/) [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [Hollywood movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood-movies/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [A novel is what you call something that won't sell if you call it poems or short stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/a-novel-is-what-you-call-something-that-won-t-sell-if-you-call-it/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [I think that novels are one of the best means that we have to communicate both with the past and with the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-barton/i-think-that-novels-are-one-of-the-best-means-that-we-have-to/) [Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-barton/) > [There were Hollywood movies and then there were those aggressively anti-narrative films that they showed at the Collective for Living Cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-vachon/there-were-hollywood-movies-and-then-there-were-those-aggressively/) [Christine Vachon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-vachon/) > [Sometimes, there's not an honest engagement of Ireland in Hollywood movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/sometimes-there-s-not-an-honest-engagement-of-ireland-in-hollywood/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [I like Hollywood movies. I like them like I like to eat scrambled eggs; I like them for fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/i-like-hollywood-movies-i-like-them-like-i-like-to-eat-scrambled-eggs/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-ellison/i-am-an-invisible-man-no-i-am-not-a-spook-like-those-who-haunted/) [Ralph Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-ellison/) > [They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-gibson/they-may-take-our-lives-but-they-ll-never-take-our-freedom/) [Mel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-gibson/) > [They spend an awful lot of money on I-don't-know-what in Hollywood movies; I certainly didn't get any of it. But they sure do love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-garcia/they-spend-an-awful-lot-of-money-on-i-don-t-know-what-in-hollywood/) [Adam Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-garcia/) > [I saw how you could get away with such a free-spirited, naturalistic sensibility in a mainstream Hollywood movie, and you could apply a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gordon-green/i-saw-how-you-could-get-away-with-such-a-free-spirited-naturalistic/) [David Gordon Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gordon-green/) > [There you see how absurd the reactions of the so-called markets are. For a long time, Italy was run by one of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/there-you-see-how-absurd-the-reactions-of-the-so-called-markets-are/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [I think that I used to love Hollywood movies. I remember great phases and moments. But, unfortunately, now is not the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernardo-bertolucci/i-think-that-i-used-to-love-hollywood-movies-i-remember-great-phases/) [Bernardo Bertolucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernardo-bertolucci/) > [My kids love old Hollywood movies and look forward to watching the Charlton Heston classic, 'The Ten Commandments,' every year. The retro special effects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/my-kids-love-old-hollywood-movies-and-look-forward-to-watching-the/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [What we got here is a failure to communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/what-we-got-here-is-a-failure-to-communicate/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [Avant-garde means never having to say you're sorry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ribot/avant-garde-means-never-having-to-say-you-re-sorry/) [Marc Ribot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ribot/) > [We're bombarded with liberal propaganda 24/7, from the early morning shows, Hollywood movies, documentaries and sitcoms, all major newspapers, fashion magazines, the sports pages,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/we-re-bombarded-with-liberal-propaganda-24-7-from-the-early-morning/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) ## More by Junot Diaz > [It might interest you that just as the U.S. was ramping up its involvement in Vietnam, LBJ launched an illegal invasion of the Dominican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-might-interest-you-that-just-as-the-u-s-was-ramping-up-its/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in truth, you love them more than you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/tell-her-that-you-love-her-hair-that-you-love-her-skin-her-lips/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [It took me sixteen years to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-took-me-sixteen-years-to-write/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [You ask everybody you know: How long does it usually take to get over it? There are many formulas. One year for every year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-ask-everybody-you-know-how-long-does-it-usually-take-to-get-over/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The one thing about being a dude and writing from a female perspective is that the baseline is, you suck. The baseline is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-one-thing-about-being-a-dude-and-writing-from-a-female/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I used to think those were the barrio rules, Latinos and blacks in, whites out —a place we down cats weren’t supposed to go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-used-to-think-those-were-the-barrio-rules-latinos-and-blacks-in/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I put my hand on her knee. I just wish you'd say you love me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-put-my-hand-on-her-knee-i-just-wish-you-d-say-you-love-me/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I've always thought that you don't love a country by turning a blind eye to its crimes and to a problem. The way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-ve-always-thought-that-you-don-t-love-a-country-by-turning-a-blind/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Called her a whore and attacked her walls, tearing down her posters and throwing her books everywhere. I found out because some whitegirl ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/called-her-a-whore-and-attacked-her-walls-tearing-down-her-posters/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [You're Dominican only if you do this, this, and that. And if you do this and that, you'll be accepted to a certain degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-re-dominican-only-if-you-do-this-this-and-that-and-if-you-do-this/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Ramfis fled the country after Trujillo's death, lived dissolutely off his father's swag, and ended up dying in a car crash of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/ramfis-fled-the-country-after-trujillo-s-death-lived-dissolutely-off/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [If you didn't grow up like I did then you don't know, and if you don't know it's probably better you don't judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-didn-t-grow-up-like-i-did-then-you-don-t-know-and-if-you-don-t/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“If you ask me I don't think there are any such things as curses. I think there is only life. That's enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-ask-me-i-don-t-think-there-are-any-such-things-as-curses-i/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The only difference between a published and unpublished writer is a tolerance for imperfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-only-difference-between-a-published-and-unpublished-writer-is-a/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) [Explore all 486 Junot Diaz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In my mind what novels do best is that they immerse us deeply into our character's world - they truly transport us deep into these spaces - but the same way you know a Hollywood movie won't end after thirty minutes, you carry in yourself the implicit contract that the novel won't throw you out of itself 'til the very end. 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