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(Trigger warning: The following post discusses sexual assault used as a plot device, and the specific example of sexual assault comes from a book that features childhood sexual assault between an adopted parent and child. If any of this is triggering for you, please take care of yourself.)
Previously, there has been heavy criticism of men who use sexual assault of women to motivate male protagonists. Nowadays, sexual assault is used in other ways—by women and nonbinary authors, of male characters, in ways claimed to be #ownvoices narratives.
But in my experience as a reader, by and large, sexual assault narratives still lean heavily on “shock factor” presentation, often to shock both the reader and the survivor’s love interest.
Let's talk about The Fever King by Victoria Lee (which I read early courtesy of Amazon First Reads).
( See TWs above. Also, spoilers, even though I don't believe sexual assault/CSA should ever be treated as spoiler content. )
Previously, there has been heavy criticism of men who use sexual assault of women to motivate male protagonists. Nowadays, sexual assault is used in other ways—by women and nonbinary authors, of male characters, in ways claimed to be #ownvoices narratives.
But in my experience as a reader, by and large, sexual assault narratives still lean heavily on “shock factor” presentation, often to shock both the reader and the survivor’s love interest.
Let's talk about The Fever King by Victoria Lee (which I read early courtesy of Amazon First Reads).
( See TWs above. Also, spoilers, even though I don't believe sexual assault/CSA should ever be treated as spoiler content. )
