So, I got done reading "They Walked Like Men," by Clifford D. Simak. I really liked the book. It was quite the ride. However, a recurring problem that the characters face in the book is that they are dealing with aliens, and they can't tell anyone or they will be treated like a crazy person. This a common trope that is reoccurring in science fiction, but I always wondered why characters, when faced with these situations, never try to give an abridged truth so that it is more palatable. Like instead of saying that aliens are buying up everything, say a secret group of individuals are using their resources and power to purchase and upend our way of life. Simple, believable, plausible, and the only thing wrong with it is that you don't have the evidence for it, but no one has a reason to put you in an insane asylum or to instantly dismiss you which is an improvement. It's not perfect, but it's definitely preferable right?
So, while I don't judge the trope too bad, I am curious if there are any sci-fi novels that try this method when faced with the unreal and impossible. At least until whoever they tell this too have seen the evidence as well and know "oh fuck monsters are real!"
I'm not looking for strictly aliens. It can be anything. Monsters, demons, robots, malignant whatever's. It can be fantasy, sci-fi, romance, or anything. The "palatable truth" doesn't even need to work; I just want to see a character try it and see how an author handled it. So if you know a book where a character subverted this trope, recommend it to me.
by Cross_Hatfield