An average romance novel is abnormally compelling to some people.

The Orchid In Winter by “L. L. Kindress” is a romance novel published a few years ago by White Bay Press. It is slightly above average for the genre, and has some ambitions (some would say pretensions) to higher artistic merit, but on the whole it is not particularly exceptional.

The book has a small but extraordinarily dedicated following, entirely disproportionate to its apparent merits. Some of its readers seem to find a deep and personal significance to the book’s characters and events. These readers seek each other out (generally via the Internet) and discuss the book’s importance to them. The significance and meanings they attach to the books tend to be similar from one person to the next; those who do not draw the same conclusions from the book rarely become dedicated fans. The fans of The Orchid In Winter quickly bond with their fan groups, and their loyalty to each other is fierce, even to people about whom they know nothing except that they are fellow Orchid In Winter fans.

L. L. Kindress is a house name used by freelancers writing romances for White Bay; other L. L. Kindress works do not seem to inspire similar devotion. It’s nearly impossible for someone who hasn’t been deeply affected by the book to pass as a fan for long; the unstated assumptions and understandings of the book’s meaning run too deep.

Do not ask to read their fanfiction.