Current Project: Liam & Angie's book
Status: Replotting the first 2/3
After the Mary Buckham workshop a little over a week ago, part of the group stayed for dinner and we discussed some of the shocking things we've seen in books, and whether or not the author was able to pull them off.
There's one that always sticks out in my mind. It's a book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. In it the heroine takes advantage of the hero in the middle of the night, feeling compelled to approach him while he was sleeping then proceeds to have sex with him. He's only partially awake and thinks it's an ex-girlfriend. When I first read the scene, I was pretty darn surprised. It was near rape and I wondered how the book would go from there.
But she sure made it work. The heroine ended up pregnant and the book follows that story, how they deal with the pregnancy. When I explain that part of the story to people, it seems shocking. How can that be a good read? But somehow, it just is. It works with the story, the characters, the plot after that event. But, of course, Susan Elizabeth Phillips (or SEP as I prefer) is a goddess of romance fiction.
A couple others shared stories of books they'd read, or even contest entries that wandered into dangerous territory. Sometimes it's rape, or the death of a child or animal that screams the book has gone too far. But sometimes, those situations just work with the story.
What are some things you've read that have gone too far? What's your limit?
9 comments:
As usual, being ill read, I can't offer much that is pertinent to your question unless I think of suspense or mystery and there the boundaries are so vast it's not funny. But I have to think that the boundaries in any genre are vast and that there are going to be things that don't offend or alarm one person and do another.
The thing that usually stops me in my tracks is plausibility of a story, but even there differences of expectation arise. Some book you accept the improbable, some you don't. It's the voice, perhaps, or the unspoken parameters you are nonetheless aware of as a reader.
I'm trying to think of a time I was shocked and I really can't. I've been duped when the bad guy turns out to be someone I didn't expect, I've been surprised by a plot twist and I've been disappointed by a story that went nowhere or lost me along the way. But truly shocked at the outrageous behavior of a character that's been sanctioned by the author? Off hand, nope. However, you can trust I'm going to be thinking about it today. Of course, this doesn't mean I can't think of instances that would loose me, just that I haven't personally run across them or even been tempted to write them.
Thought provoking blog, Lisa, I hope someone else can offer you examples!
Lisa, I read that book! And yeah, I was like, huh? How can she do that? How could she rape a man? But it totally works. The heroine is set up to be outrageous before the event happens, so what she did was "in character," which I think is half the battle of suspending disbelief. I heart that book! SEP is my favorite romance author next to Jen Crusie. 8^)
Nothing surprises me much, but I do find the language in some erotic romances to be repulsive and offensive. I don't read erotica, but I used to participate in a few blogs that allowed erotica excerpts. Man, that didn't last long for me. Some of the words the writers used were completely without taste. It made something that should be beautiful between two people who love each other totally repugnant. It's hard to believe there are readers who actually "buy" these books, and read them. *shudders* Gross.
Sensuality I'm fine with. Graphic sex I'm fine with. It's the trashy language used to illustrate a graphic sex scene that has the potential to be offensive.
Oh, Karen, snort, you made me think of a scene I read in an erotica book. The heroine was in a position to insist the hero drop his drawers to reveal his "equipment" (I am purposely being vague about the details of the book). All I could picture was a guy wearing a shirt with his jeans and undies down around his socks, standing there like a two year old does after he's gone potty and needs help getting everything pulled up. It was the least sexy image in the world to me, it emasculated the hero and I couldn't believe ANYONE found it alluring. But boy did I laugh myself sick.
SEP is a goddess. I love her books, but I struggled with that scene, too. My problem was with him not waking up in time. It was a ballsy move for the woman, but like Karen said she was portrayed as being an oddball to begin with.
Some of the books I read come up with creative ways to torture and murder. Sometimes I think it's just for the shock factor. "What can I do that no one else has done?" More gore doesn't create a better book.
I'm thinking of one book in particular that simply made me ill with descriptions of the murder victims, but I made myself finish it, because I highly respect and like the author. Any other author and I probably would have put it down for good.
Alice, thanks for the image. Erotica and potty training. Yeah, that does it for me.
I'm reading the Julia Spencer-Fleming books right now, and if you would have asked me if I thought a slow paced romance between a priest (female) and a happily married man would hold my interest--but DANG! She makes it work, and her books are addictive. I put her right up there with Brockmann on my keeper shelves now.
I think Christina Dodd's writing is witty, and she's fabulously talented, but I've stopped even trying to read her historical work--there's just too many near rapes & coercive sex for me. There's a difference between blushing virgin and tricked virgin. However, under the right story, even tricked virgin can work--Catherine Coulter made this work in some of her early historicals.
I love the SEP you mention--one of my favorites. I think what made the scene work was that she wasn't doing it maliciously--she really didn't know how else to go about it, and he wasn't immune to her charms prior to the scene.
I think a book goes to far when it attempts something that the characters wouldn't do or that their voice doesn't support. If Katie McCalister (sp) or Vickie Lewis Thompson attempted a child's death or near-rape, it would feel horribly off b/c that's not the vein they write in, and their voice (marvelous though it is) isn't the right one for that type of story. Hand that same plotline to Liz Caryle or Suzanne Brockmann though and they can make it work.
Kendra--do you read Allison Brennan? I love her and her books, but man, whenever anyone else writes that level of graphic violence, I just can't stomach it. It's a sign of her talent that she can pull it off (and of my weak stomach that I can't read it from other talented writers).
I tend to be a fairly eclectic reader. About the only thing I can't stomach is graphic violence, which is strange since I've written a few scenes in the past that would fall into that category. Usually I skim past the violence (guess I was writing with my eyes closed), but it doesn't really shock me anymore. Make me queasy, sure, but shock me, not so much.
As far as my limit, well, only one book that I can think of has ever fallen over that line for me -- The Exorcist. I read the book when it first came out, long before the movie was made (which I will never see), and to this day I wish I could scrub certain scenes from my brain. gah!!
I'll bore you all with my same ol' complaint...
Hands down it's that book by Gabaldon, "Outlander" and how she tortures Jamie with that perverted military guy. It's just evil and wrong what he does to Jamie. I squalled my eyes out and almost threw up a few times, but yeah, I read the whole thing.
I had bought all of her books she'd had pubbed at that time and I took them all, unread, and traded them in at the used book store in exchange for authors I knew I could trust not to torture the hero or heroine so graphically.
But you know what? I'll give Gabaldon this, she's a very good writer. I just couldn't stomach it. It made me feel rotten and unsatisfied, even though I read the whole thing.
I wonder if I re-read it now if I'd feel the same way I did when I read it the first time? I was really naive then and hadn't read anything like her book in my life up to that point. In fact, I bet I could even get through Eli's book known as "The One I Won't Read". LOL I'm much tougher and more jaded now. I bet I could do it. Maybe. Almost.
Fun post to read and see all the comments. I love Deborah's comment about wishing she could scrub parts of her brain. LOL Poor Deborah. I feel for ya!
Interesting topic and comments, Lisa. For me, I don't think the question is "how far is too far" but "what do I prefer to read."
I have limited time to read right now and, if I find something too violent or graphic or just plain gross (according to me--LOL!), I don't read the book.
Perhaps I've gotten to the point of figuring the mark of a good author is being able to tell a fantastic story without violence, graphic language, or grossness. :)
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