I’m Mad About It: Novels Using Sexual Assault as a Surprise Plot Point
CW: sexual assault
Spoiler warning in content (but not plot) for My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison, and Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong.
I’ve recently read three otherwise amazing novels that have all disturbed me for the same unusual reason: they used sexual assault as a surprise-subplot or weird character journey late in the story.
The use of sexual assault in media can be a controversial topic and there is a lot of complexity when addressing it. I could write a dozen different articles, each taking a differing viewpoint, but what remains the same no matter the stance is that:
Discussing sexual assault is important.
Nuanced, informed, and accurate portrayal of survivors is important.
Writing accurately and empathetically about events surrounding sexual assault and rape is important.
It's also important that readers, many of whom may be survivors, can make an informed choice about what kind of content they want to engage with themselves.
If an author is using sexual assault as a way to shock their audience, hiding this content until an "Ah-ha! Gotcha!" moment later in their book, that shows a lack of understanding and it's not okay.
When a novel that does not market itself as featuring sexual assault starts to develop a sexual assault theme, it can break the trust between the author and their readers. The tiny breadcrumbs of foreshadowing can make you think, 'Surely, I'm overanalyzing or misunderstanding', but by the time you realize you're reading a book that hinges on the themes of sexual assault, you're already really. fucking. upset.
As a survivor and an avid reader, this is a particularly cruel sucker punch to endure.
One of the many difficulties facing survivors of sexual assault is the constant societal gaslighting, the disbelief, the leading questions that try to place blame on the survivor and not the one who assaulted (“Why did you even go out with them? What were you wearing? Are you sure that even happened? Maybe you misunderstood? Did you tell them no?”). It makes questioning oneself, one's experiences, and one’s perspectives a horrible side effect of existing. I, as a survivor, reader, and writer, did not appreciate the experience of questioning if I was picking up on “weird misplaced sexual-assault subplot vibes” in a book that marketed itself as something else entirely. I'm also not interested in debating how I experienced these books.
I’ve run into this strange, “Surprise! Sexual Assault! Got ya!” technique three times recently and I was not braced for any of them. I wanted to enjoy what was otherwise a very engaging story that marketed itself as a supernatural thriller with a strong female lead.
When I think I am about to bite into a juicy werewolf novel, a timely story on horror, or a spooky, locked-room, mystery, I dont want to be halfway through what is a deliciously written tale when a “HOLY SHIT SEXUAL ASSAULT” sucker punch of a scene gets lobbed my way. This story didn't market itself as that. There was no mention of it in any synopsis. As a survivor, I was not ready for that.
I very much enjoy the writing by all three of the authors I mention here. I in no way want to critique their talent as authors: they are all absolutely fabulous writers. What I have an issue with is the “Surprise! Sexual assault subplot” technique that seems to be making the rounds.
