I have so much to say on this topic, but I’ll start here and probably continue the conversation at some point in Love Notes from Tara (xoxoTara.substack.com).
Toxic masculinity and VAW, as presented in some romance novels I’ve read, merely reflects what women experience in real life.
For a survivor, there can be power in reading a story that in some way mimics a traumatic personal even yet lets you vicariously experience a more positive outcome than what you actually lived.
Personally, I prefer to read and write heroes who would never engage in any kind of violence against women, whether physical or psychological.
Yet I don’t disparage the stories that may have given a reader a sense they are seen and valued, especially if that book helps a survivor to work through their trauma and grief and reach a place of healing.
One of the things I love most about the romance genre is the infinite variations and the way there is something for everyone...and if not, someone can what they wish to see on the shelf. All the stories matter <3
I have so much to say on this topic, but I’ll start here and probably continue the conversation at some point in Love Notes from Tara (xoxoTara.substack.com).
Toxic masculinity and VAW, as presented in some romance novels I’ve read, merely reflects what women experience in real life.
For a survivor, there can be power in reading a story that in some way mimics a traumatic personal even yet lets you vicariously experience a more positive outcome than what you actually lived.
Personally, I prefer to read and write heroes who would never engage in any kind of violence against women, whether physical or psychological.
Yet I don’t disparage the stories that may have given a reader a sense they are seen and valued, especially if that book helps a survivor to work through their trauma and grief and reach a place of healing.
One of the things I love most about the romance genre is the infinite variations and the way there is something for everyone...and if not, someone can what they wish to see on the shelf. All the stories matter <3