A Creepy Kind of Sex
I don’t know what got me started thinking about this, maybe the current state of my life (or lack thereof), but it’s been rolling through my head for a few days now and I’ve just had a chance to get it out.
Why are women falling in love with their rapists/kidnappers in books these days? Actually, I don’t know if it’s even “these days”. This may have been a trend that began long ago before I read Romance-ish novels, but it’s just now started to rile me. I mean, what the crap??
Because I despise book bashing in all it’s forms (I critique, not bitch dammit), I’m not going to call any authors by name.
There are three examples that really stand out in my mind. The first is from one of my absolute favorite authors in one of her humorous books. The hero kidnaps the heroine, madcap comedy ensues. But seriously? What kind of freaky Stockholm syndrome is that?
A minor gripe, but a gripe nonetheless.
Example two came to me from an anthology in which a vampire kidnaps a woman he likes and keeps her in bed for X amount of time while screwing her on a daily basis. She does not want to be screwed, he doesn’t give a shit, they fall in love.
Okay, I’m sorry, but if you even once, ONCE, try to make me do something like that against my will, not only will there NOT be love, there will NOT be a bone left unbroken in your body.
Example three is a book I recently read. The author came highly recommended, so I was very excited to begin. As a novel, it was FABULOUS. Great writing, characters I cared about, and a massively confused heroine. Good stuff.
What bugged me was that in the beginning, he saves her, then kidnaps her, then screws her while she’s tied up (I’m sensing a theme) and is trying to make her submit to him through sex. Slave bracelets were involved. I understand that he’s “an animal” in the book, and animals claim what’s theirs, but it doesn’t translate very well into a human mind. So she escapes and years later he finds her and they fall in love and live happily ever after. A man who she’s hated for years because of her captivity, and she saves his life and marries him.
Um, NO!!! Slave bracelets?? Forced sex??? I don’t understand.
EDIT: I do have a fourth example, but it’s more acceptable. The hero kidnaps the heroine, but kicks the shit out of her to make her a better fighter so she doesn’t get killed. Still not quite okay with falling in love with the kidnapper, but at least he didn’t force himself on her until she was willing.
