Fictional characters make 'experiential crossings' into real life, study finds

A fifth of readers report characters from novels cropping up in their daily lives, hearing their voices even after putting books aside

It's a cliche to claim that a novel can change your life, but a recent study suggests almost a fifth of readers report that fiction seeps into their daily existence.

Researchers at Durham University conducted a survey of more than 1,500 readers, with about 400 providing detailed descriptions of their experiences with book. Nineteen per cent of those respondents said the voices of fictional characters stayed with them even when they weren't reading, influencing the style and tone of their thoughts - or even speaking to them directly. For some participants it was as if a character "had started to narrate my world", while others heard characters talking, or imagined them reacting to things going on in everyday life.