In 2024, author Colleen Hoover faced controversy after the movie based on her novel, It Ends with Us, was released. Her novels had been marketed online as romances, despite featuring varying degrees of abuse and manipulation. Hoover drew criticism online from readers for writing stories that are, as one Cosmopolitan writer reported , “toxic and deeply problematic and, in most cases, glorify abuse”.
The backlash grew when Hoover announced a colouring book version of It Ends with Us – a story centred on a female character who experiences domestic violence. Readers found this insensitive and inappropriate given the contents of the novel and it was described as “tasteless” by SLATE writer Chels Upton.
This opened conversations among both readers and authors about the responsibility authors have as storytellers in educating and bringing awareness to topics like abuse. Particularly when concerns about gender and family violence in countries like Australia have become a national conversation. According to Mission Australia 418,000 women and more than 92,000 men who had experienced violence from a previous partner said the children in their care had witnessed the abuse. They also found approximately 2.5 million Australian adults experienced abuse during their childhood; a majority of this group experienced multiple incidents and knew their attacker.
Author Demet Divaroren, writer of award-winning young adult fiction novels, believes as an author she has a responsibility to write about topics such as abuse with delicacy and understanding. Divaroren’s first novel Living on Hope Street, which went on to win The Premier’s Literacy Award for young adult fiction in 2018 has themes of abuse. When approaching the writing of this novel Divaroren not only did her research but carefully crafted together a story that explores the intricate details of abuse compassionately.
“As [a] writer, I have a duty to deal with heavy, confronting topics responsibly. That entails approaching a subject whether it’s physical, mental, emotional abuse ethically and sensitively in order to offer the realities in a way that will not romanticise violence but inform, educate and help readers identify warning signs and ways they can cope [and] overcome similar situations,” she says.
Research by Creative Australia found that a majority of Australians they surveyed read at least once a week. One of them is Dhedeepya Chennupalli. She has read her fair share of novels and series that explore toxic relationships. One of these is the contemporary romance series After, which follows a young woman who experiences a volatile and abusive relationship. Similarly to Hoover’s novels, this series is marketed and described as being a young adult contemporary romance novel.
“If you take like the After series, which I read, the toxicity of that relationship is so heavily romanticised. And as a 13-year-old that was reading that, it was unhealthy to kind of idealise that kind of relationship,” she says as she moves the book in her hands.
Chennupalli, has been an avid reader from a young age. Over the years, she has read books that she believes glorified abuse, which led her to believe that love had to involve toxicity.
“For a long time, I think I did consider that. I was like, this is what romance is,” she says. “Like it’s supposed to be really fiery, but now as I’ve gotten older, I see that that is not romance at all, that is really toxic behaviour and it’s not stable and it’s not caring, which is what romance should be.”
Author Demat Divaroren says thorough research is essential to encapsulate true experiences and make sure the topic is handled respectfully and represented accurately.
“Research is key to creating authentic stories that ring true, especially when writing contemporary fiction set in the real world. When writing Living on Hope Street, which deals with themes of domestic violence, I read many case studies about the emotional and mental effects of domestic violence on children,” she says.
Solid research also means she is able to create a complex story that resonates with her audience.
“This helped me create believable and multi layered characters readers could connect with. I also spoke with police officers and referred to DV legislation to help inform the story and develop the plot,” she says.
Fellow author Sherryl Clark, writer of comedy novel The Too Tight Tutu and crime novel Trust Me, I’m Dead, says when she is writing a book that entails abuse of any kind, she includes helplines and information shared to educate and help readers who may be facing similar situations.
“I do when it’s in print or online. My new children’s book has that kind of information at the back, and my latest crime novel (not published yet) will also have that included. I will also look at including it on my website and social media,” she says.
Dhedeepya Chennupalli says that if authors are writing about abuse, then she would want them to make it clear to their readership that they are not in support of abusive relationships.
“I think [you] kind of need to take in other perspectives and other experiences as well. And you need to be aware of what you’re advocating for there. You’re not advocating for people to be in abusive relationships,” she says. “You’re advocating for people to get out of them.”
Support
If you are ever in danger, reach out to 000 immediately.
Lifeline – 13 11 14 or chat online.
MensLine Australia – 1300 78 99 78.
Relationships Australia – 1300 364 277.
Article: Nykita Van Den Berg is a second-year Media and Communications (Journalism) student at La Trobe University. You can follow her on Twitter at @Nykitavdb_
Photo: Woman Reading a Book Beside the Window by Rahul Sha available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons license. This image has not been modified.
