TheBookSwarm
Ask Question

The last two books I’ve tried to read have dealt with incest. Why? Just why?

The last two books I’ve tried to read have dealt with incest. Why? Just why?

Lauren #questionnaire

29
Reply

68 Answers

Jessie

OMG! I had a weird streak of books that all involved incest too. I really needed a cushy happy book to break the cycle. I wish there was some kind of warning but they were all used as a plot point.

5
Reply
Liz

Ew.

3
Reply
Caroline

Maybe it’s time for a different genre to cleanse the palette?

5
Reply
LaurenQuestion author

@Caroline possibly. I’m really determined to read a good mystery or thriller. I’ve been on a historical fiction kick so I’m trying to get a break from that lol

1
Haylene

Lmao pretty weird ?

2
Reply
Bonnie

Flowers in the attic?

3
Reply
LaurenQuestion author

@Bonnie The Roanoke Girls and A Simple Favor

0
Jessie

@Lauren Don’t read Book of Essie next. Those are the exact three books that I read in a row. I actually started with Small Fry which had very weird undertones then went down this trend.

1
Molly

@Jessie OMG I LOVED LOVED LOVED The Book of Essie!!! It was soooooo good.

0
Jessie

@Molly It was a great book but it was book #3 in my incest marathon. I was over the theme by then.

3
Lexy

@Jessie “incest marathon” is not a phrase I thought I’d ever see on this page lol

7
Jessie

@Molly unfortunately, I never thought I’d read one.

0
LaurenQuestion author

@Jessie that’s good to know. It’s on my shelf!

0
Michaella

Eww ?

1
Reply
Vartika

I always hate it when that happens. I cant stomach incest AND imagine! I love Game of Thrones?

2
Reply
Tyler

Out of all the years of reading I don’t think I’ve ever come across any with incest. That’s actually mindboggling that it would even be a thing in books, yet from a creative standpoint I’m also not really surprised.

2
Reply
Sam

Oh you’re so lucky. I remember as a kid stumbling on incest in the Shadowhunters book series. I stuck around for the other gay relationship but ho boy Cassandra Clare did NOT have to bring back the “Clary is so so hot her own brother wants her to bare his children,” for the last book. Especially not when she planned on breaking up my OTP in the last few pages leaving me kneeling on the ground rocking, crying and in general not having a great time

0
Tyler

@Sam I mean, I did read that series and I love it. But it wasn’t really incest to me aside from that since nothing happened between them.

0
Tyler

@Sam I guess I just don’t count that.

0
Sam

@Tyler Do you remember in the last book when Sebastian/Johnathan was *this* close to (excuse my French) raping Clary? when they were in the apartment together? I do. It was horrendous. I was already dealing with the fact that Magnus and Alec we’re going through a thing, so I didn’t pick up the last book for like a week after that chapter. But my friend finished it by that point, and was telling me, pleading with me, “It gets better,”. What you did. But not before it got worse. I successfully shaved off like 5 years right before Raphael sacrificed himself so Magnus could live.

0
Sam

*Which it did. It did. The ending made me a very happy, very emotional puddle on my bed crying and laughing until my sister asked if she should call a hospital.

0
Diana

I could never read Cupcake Brown because of this.

3
Reply
Ashley

That just happened to me! It was The Roanoke Girls and then My Absolute Darling. I didn’t even get a 1/4 of the way through the second one. I couldn’t handle it

2
Reply
Susan

My Absolute Darling was written so beautifully… But left me feeling like I needed to shower in bleach! ?

1
Ashley

@Susan I can totally see that in the small bit I read. I just couldn’t do it.

1
Susan

I appreciated that the ickiness (ha) kind of started right away, so that readers wouldn’t have invested too much time in it before realizing “No way Jose, not the book for me!”. ?

1
LaurenQuestion author

@Ashley I know how you feel. My two were The Roanoke Girls and A Simple Favor. DNF immediately.

1
Hanlie

It is upsetting, but it is a fact of life. Read ‘Eden Close’ by Anita Shreve.

1
Reply
Mariela

WTF

1
Reply
Stephanie

Ugh same. I just read one that was advertised so much last year. Nowhere did it mention incest and you start to think it around halfway in but it doesn’t come completely to light until the last 10% of the book. I DNF’d it a 81% because I was SO grossed out. I’m sure this is a major trigger for some ppl so for it to not mention it anywhere was surprising to me. I love dark romance but this one just made me nauseous.

2
Reply
LaurenQuestion author

Stephanie Comstock I DNF’d both of mine too. Not my cup of tea.

0
Bobbie

I really wish some books would come with content warnings I will under no circumstance read incest even if it turns out the incest wasn’t real.

10
Reply
Kate

I’ve had good luck googling book titles and “content warning” – you don’t get all of it, but you get a good feel for it

1
Bobbie

@Kate never thought of doing this thanks!

1
Kate

A friend recommended the idea to me, and it’s been really helpful. I’m glad to pass it along

1
Susan

Same! Not incest though. The last 4 books I’ve read have dealth with coma/death… Picked up a nice fluffy YA because I don’t need an existential crisis in my life right now lol

4
Reply
Susan

Reminds me of when I somehow read 3 books within a month or so that all featured a character’s hands being chopped off! ? Made me sort of paranoid, LOL.

2
Reply
Eliana

Am I the only one that finds it interesting? I mean, yeah it’s gross but…-morbid curiosity-

9
Reply
Kaitlin

@Eliana I do too. I think it’s because I don’t understand it, kind of like a fascination with serial killers or something ?

6
Susan

Exactly. I’m pretty straight-laced in real life, so I know some people would be horrified by some of the things I’ve read!! ?

5
Eliana

@Susan Same! I’m pretty much a prude IRL. I feel like you let off your inner wild side with crazy books lol

1
Jamie

Don’t read Game of Thrones then. lol

4
Reply
LaurenQuestion author

@Jamie I’m one of the weird ones who have never felt the pull of Game of Thrones. ??‍♀️

3
Jamie

show either?!

0
Angela

That exactly why I don’t watch the show *gag*

0
Jamie

@Angela that’s not even the worse thing about it! Lol. I love that show and books

0
Jessica

If you want something extremely disturbing read The Kiss by Kathryn Harrison. It’s a memoir about how she slept with her absent father once they reconnected. I had to read it for a college course and it was shocking.

4
Reply
Kaycee

Read Wideacre if you want to stick with the trend. ???

2
Reply
Natalie

My Absolute Darling? A Simple Favor?

1
Reply
LaurenQuestion author

@Natalie A Simple Favor and The Roanoke Girls

0
Natalie

@Lauren my absolute darling was ROUGH. Did you like A Simple Favor?

0
Pamela

Eh oh well. As long as it isn’t rape or pedophilia. But my book has all of that in it anyways

0
Reply
Susan

Yikes! What book? (Asking for a friend, obvsly.). ?

0
Pamela

IT by Stephen King lol

0
LaurenQuestion author

@Pamela Two reasons I immediately DNF is child rape/pedophilia and incest.

2
Pamela

It is a great book so I’m glad my limits are different lol

0
Kylie

Were they both from The Mortal Instruments? ?

3
Reply
Pamela

@Kylie that doesn’t have actual incest in it though..

0
Kylie

@Pamela Yeah, but they didn’t know that

0
Pamela

True lol

0
Charley

i hated a simple favour,, it felt like it was just in there to be ~edgy~. then again that was kind of the feeling i got for the whole thing lmao

2
Reply
LaurenQuestion author

@Charley ive heard it’s one instance where the movie version is better so I may give that a try.

1
Maria

Have you read Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma? You should!

0
Reply
Quinn

@Maria I love her books!

0
Kate

As an incest survivor, it upsets me deeply to see it used as a cheap plot device. I’ve seen it done well, but most of the time, it just ticks me off. So glad my pain is being used to explain why a character is standoffish.

7
Reply
Rachael

@Kate so much love sent your way xxxxxxxxx

0
Leah

Don’t read ANY VC Andrews either lol

0
Reply
Jamie

Did someone say Cassandra Clare? (Don’t come for me I love Cassie Clare but like… come on)

0
Reply
Leave a Answer Cancel

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Loading Please wait
Log in
Register
Categories
  • get the book
  • questionnaire
  • recommend
  • review
Genres
animal art biography business chick lit classics comics contemporary cookbooks crime detective fantasy fiction gay and lesbian graphic novel historical fiction history horror humor and comedy kids languages manga memoir music mystery nonfiction novel paranormal philosophy poetry psychology religies religion romance scary science science fiction self help spirituality sports suspense thriller travel young adult young adults
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

2019 © TheBookSwarm