Is Cozy Dystopia A Thing?
Yes! In Stasis is not a cozy dystopia throughout the entire book but there are cozy sections or cozy elements in parts of it. This was intentional to create contrast, set the mood, create whiplash and claustrophobia as well as root the story and emotions in reality. Let me explain.
There would be good days and bad days for Jessi. Moments of reprieve and moments of immense anxiety. These peaceful moments would be all the more wonderful in contrast to what she has escaped, is avoiding and lingers in the wilderness. The moments of mundane joy that hold a sense of cozy nostalgia are a mental escape, a wellness recharge and a sense of grounding for Jessi and in some ways for us as the reader.
The immensely good moments create a higher contrast to the bad moments. When all you want to do is linger in the soft warm of the sunshine a rainy cloud is somehow even more aggravating. This high contrast life is the world she’s living in and would be a realistic if you were living under an authoritarian regime like our characters in In Stasis. This sets the mood for the world she must move through.
These existence is one of whiplash. Going from the highest highs to the lowest lows with paranoia and nostalgia sprinkled in is going to leave your emotions and thoughts spinning. Just when you feel there’s stable ground—think again. This would be the life of someone living on the run. Good moment will occur but the fear of the other shoe dropping lingers as Jessi is surviving.
Finally is the sense of claustrophobia. If you’ve even been to the Holocaust Museum in DC there is a niffty trick they do so that you feel the claustrophobia those living under Nazi regime would have felt whether in the country, neighboring, fleeing or the concentration camps. As you go through the museum the rooms get smaller and narrower as you and other visitors are corraled through the museum like cattle with only one route. You will feel a sense of unease and this architectural design contributes to that. I won’t say my book is the Holocaust Museum or be so daft to say it’s equal quality but the intended effect is similar. I want people through the whiplash and high contrast as the stakes continually rise as you read on to feel a sense of urgency. The panic building so palatable that it begins to feel claustrophobic until it all come to a crescendo.
I think because In Stasis is mainly set in the wilderness, in a tree house (former glamping rental), and there’s activities that take place which may naturally transport you to nostalgic times that you are more likely to feel these cozy vibes. There’s also a “golden thread of hope” woven throughout the whole story. I’m forever an optimist and believe people have power and maybe the resistance can be real. So of course this made it’s way into the story and this little ray of light can lean cozy. A reader said it was more “thrutopian” which, yes, I had to look up. Thrutopian is a sub-genre of dystopian where they MC is going through a dystopian state with a focus on survival, community, hope, autonomy, and resistance. Sounds pretty spot on!
All of this to say if you’re nervous that dystopians may be too scary, stressful or depressing, remember I want to leave you with hope. Besides as others have said it’s a bit cozy, even thrutopian so give it a whirl.