Reading in times of Netflix: why books are a must for our minds, according to bestselling author Joël Dicker (33)

'During gigs or book signings, people often come up to me and tell me: "I wasn't a reader, but your book made me experience the pleasure of reading and now I really enjoy reading." I don't say that because I think my books are now so good, but because it shows that once someone experiences how much fun it can be to read a book, a new world opens up.'

Ask Swiss writer Joël Dicker (33) one question and he burns into an inspired, breathless argument about the importance of literature, the love of books, the meaning of reading. He talks with as much pleasure and passion as he writes. His new novel The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer is, like its successful predecessors The truth about the Harry Quebert case and The book of the Baltimores, another tasty page-turner with an ingenious plot, humour and plenty of momentum.

A 650-page book: that's quite a lot at a time when people are increasingly Netflixing and reading less and less.

'That's true, there is less reading, but I don't think we should give up the fight to get - and keep - people reading. Reading is essential for your life, your career, for society as a whole. Many people try to escape reality for a few hours by binge-watching because it makes them feel good. By the way, more and more novels are being adapted into series; think of Game of Thrones By George R.R Martin, Pretty Little Liars By Sara Shepard of The genius girlfriend by Elena Ferrante. Whereas a two-hour film is often too short for filming a novel, a series offers much more space.'

Your own story

'But there is also a big difference between watching television and reading a book, and that is your own imagination. With a book, as a reader, you yourself are part of the creation process, you have an active role because you imagine the characters, and the locations. You give it your own interpretation, which is based on your personal experiences. Each reader creates their so-so story, and that story in turn mirrors something back and says something about the reader.'

Why is that important?

'Because that way, reading gives insight into yourself: into your feelings, your thoughts and what you consider important. I think a society of people who read is a more pleasant society, because people understand themselves and others better, are more at peace with themselves and are more open to another person's point of view. Today, especially on social media, we are mostly very busy with how we look. Every day you have to take so many steps, you have to go to the gym twice a week, and eat healthy. Everyone wants to be in good shape physically, but when it comes to our knowledge, our minds and brains, we are not nearly as caring and disciplined.'

'With all the technology, we use our brains less and less. How many phone numbers do you know by heart these days? When I was little, I knew a lot of them, but now I hardly know my best friends' number - they are in my phone. I am definitely not alone in that, and I find that worrying.'

Have we become lazy? I think if people can choose between reading Ferrante's four books or watching the TV series, most would go for the latter.

'That's true, yes. Yet I think it is also because not everyone knows the beauty of a good reading experience. During gigs or book signings, people often come up to me to tell me: "I wasn't a reader, but your book made me experience the pleasure of reading and now I really enjoy reading." I don't say that because I think my books are now so good, but because it shows that once someone experiences how much fun it can be to read a book, a new world opens up. I like to use a dictionary for the same reason: every time you open it to look up a word, your eye also catches other words you didn't know or don't use very often. It enlarges your world.'

Cool and sexy

'It is good to think how we make reading for young people cool and sexy again. Otherwise, we will soon have generations of young people who only dream of becoming famous on YouTube or Instagram or becoming the new Kim Kardashian. Society cannot function on that. We have so many tools at our disposal that we can no longer live without them. As a result, our knowledge diminishes. We use auto-correct because we no longer know how to spell words, we can no longer read a map because we use navigation systems or Google Maps. With a real map, we can hardly get by.'

Given the popularity of your books, you manage to appeal to a lot of readers. What is the secret?

'I don't know exactly. While writing, I don't think about a goal or my readers; I write mainly to entertain myself. But I did become a writer because I believe in the power of literature, and in sharing that pleasure. I have indeed been very lucky that my books have reached so many readers. Everyone gets something different out of them.'

Scar

'When last year The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer came out in France, reviews and conversations about the position of women in this era of #MeToo, and that women are still not treated equally. Then the book came out in Spain at a time when the Spanish government had just fallen because of a major corruption scandal. Since corruption also plays a role in my book, it was mainly about that. In Mexico, it was mainly about a journalist being murdered, something that also happens regularly there. It is very interesting to see where which aspect of the story is singled out.'

What is this book about for you?

'The book takes the form of a detective: there is a crime, then the investigation follows, and at the end of the book you have all the answers to the questions. But for me, that's not the most important thing. I see it mainly as a novel about people with a scar, a personal tragedy, who have to figure out how to move on with their lives. This is something we all go through to a greater or lesser extent. All of us have to come to terms with what we have done or left behind, what we regret or things we wish we could change. We only have one little life, and it is fragile. Everything we do or don't do has consequences, which we have to accept and learn to live with. So for me, this novel is about redemption and the question of how we can forgive ourselves.'

Were you struggling with that theme yourself?

'Well, in my personal life there is no big drama I have to deal with, if that's what you mean. But it doesn't necessarily have to be something big either; we all also go through small tragedies in our daily lives that others sometimes don't even understand the impact of, for example, when losing a pet. That's why I think everyone can identify with it, because, after all, we all grieve or regret something.'

Good to know

Joel Dicker, The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer, is published by De Bezige Bij, €25 Buy via Bol.com and support Culture Press