Mike Wolanin | The Republic Author Brandon Andress poses for a photo while showing the mockup of the cover for his latest book on his tablet at his home in Columbus.
For months nearly every morning at 5 a.m., while much of the rest of the world slept, Brandon Andress pored over his laptop at his kitchen table in Columbus while the words poured out — words to his second allegorical novel to be released Aug. 15 — that he hoped could leave readers a little wide-eyed.
The former longtime Republic contributing columnist who nurtured a strong following while also becoming one of the local Viewpoint Books’ top-selling authors, still talks about the marked differences between how nonfiction and fiction are received by area readers in a seemingly markedly divided world.
“My goal never has been to perpetuate either division or an echo chamber,” he said.
But he occasionally felt the awkwardness of both extremes when writing about issues of character and faith in the nonfiction realm. His first novel, “What Can’t Be Hidden,” from Quoir Publishing, gave him a new freedom to more subtly engage readers.
And his latest, “And So By Fire,” does the same while continuing his first novel’s story with the main character of Thura. Now, still on the island of Pangea, she delves deeper into The Coalescence’s dark agenda. And she confronts the harsh reality that her ideals and convictions alone may not be enough to challenge its control over the island’s residents.
“What I figured out with fiction is that you can introduce ideas that people would not normally engage with, because they ‘don’t agree with the facts,’ and clothe these ideas in flesh-and-blood.
“Characters in fictions are nuanced. They are not all black and white. Like us (believe it or not) they live in gray areas, mixed with both bad and good.”
He acknowledged hoping that his prose helps readers adjust perspectives, and maybe even tweak their viewpoint on an issue or two.
“The one thing very interesting after the first novel came out was hearing some people say that even with the story’s antagonists, they would say ‘Oh — I can see some of myself right there,’” he said. “In my mind, there’s a win right there.”
Beth Stroh, co-owner of Viewpoint Books, can understand why Andress’ first novel found strong support. Andress spoke with one reader who even scribbled notes in a notebook while reading the work.
“His fiction is deeply thought-provoking and insightful, portraying ‘ordinary’ people in a way that is universally relatable,” Stroh said. “We can see ourselves and others in the characters. We can easily distinguish between evil and virtuous actions.
“We can learn from the characters and situations in Brandon’s books and uncover ways we – alone or with willing companions – can confront today’s challenges … .”
As much as he acknowledged that his predawn writing sessions sometimes could be challenging, Andress sees something else as more challenging in an era of so much media and arts competing for attention.
“Writing is the easy part,” he said. “The noise all around is such a distraction that getting people to actually pay attention can be very difficult.”
He makes it clear that he is aiming for far more than just a solid beach read for his audience with both novels. That seems especially understandable because Andress has long been dismayed by polarization in the United States and elsewhere.
“I didn’t write them to help people escape,” he said. “I wrote them to help us see each other differently and to help us rediscover our humanity.”
To get the book
Go to Viewpoint Books locally or to brandonandress.com on Aug. 15 or later.
