Semi-book discussion: faith in humaity, leaving
Last night, I opened The Sheik, by E.M. Hull. I had no real knowledge of the book (I've said before that's part of the fun: going into these books pretty much blind). I'm not surprised it was made into a movie, but I've never seen it. I braced myself for the racism that was sure to be there.
But I was really, really not prepared for what I found. This is a horrifying book. Horrifying. I had to stop about 150 pages in because I just couldn't take what I knew was coming.
The Sheik is the story of Diana Mayo, a British heiress who, having been raised by her older brother like a boy, undertakes a solo (for values of solo = "accompanied by many local guides and servants") trip in "the desert." As you might expect, she is kidnapped by a local Sheik.
I expected a typical, vaguely disturbing romance novel where a headstrong woman is gradually won over in captivity, courted and seduced against her will, etc etc. Instead, the first thing the Sheik does is rape her. And then he rapes her again the next night. And then we flash forward a month, where it sounds like he's been raping her pretty much every night. There's no detail, and the word is never used, but it seems pretty damned unambiguous to me. I'm not sure how else "She had fought until the unequal struggle had let her exhausted and helpless in his arms, until her whole body was one agonised ache from the brutal hands that forced her into compliance" can be interpreted. There are later discussions about her having to submit to his every desire.
Out of this, we get a love story. She falls in love with him.
Look, I actually have a pretty strong non-con kink, but the "person falls in love with his/her rapist" trope is just about the only variation that not only doesn't attract, but actively repels me. But even so, okay, as kink, I could accept it. Until I found the reviews.
"They don't write stories like this anymore."
"My mother read this when she was 13 years old. She has never forgotten it. I am thankful that Amazon sent it to me. This is a truly romantic story. Full of emotion. There are no bad words, no sexual details, but extremely emotional. This is a story that all girls dream about."
"Even though it is about kidnapping and forced affection (to say more would ruin it), it was terribly romantic!"
There are a couple of reviews that mention the gender aspects, although they're careful to say that it's that they don't buy Diana's transformation, but good God.
But I was really, really not prepared for what I found. This is a horrifying book. Horrifying. I had to stop about 150 pages in because I just couldn't take what I knew was coming.
The Sheik is the story of Diana Mayo, a British heiress who, having been raised by her older brother like a boy, undertakes a solo (for values of solo = "accompanied by many local guides and servants") trip in "the desert." As you might expect, she is kidnapped by a local Sheik.
I expected a typical, vaguely disturbing romance novel where a headstrong woman is gradually won over in captivity, courted and seduced against her will, etc etc. Instead, the first thing the Sheik does is rape her. And then he rapes her again the next night. And then we flash forward a month, where it sounds like he's been raping her pretty much every night. There's no detail, and the word is never used, but it seems pretty damned unambiguous to me. I'm not sure how else "She had fought until the unequal struggle had let her exhausted and helpless in his arms, until her whole body was one agonised ache from the brutal hands that forced her into compliance" can be interpreted. There are later discussions about her having to submit to his every desire.
Out of this, we get a love story. She falls in love with him.
Look, I actually have a pretty strong non-con kink, but the "person falls in love with his/her rapist" trope is just about the only variation that not only doesn't attract, but actively repels me. But even so, okay, as kink, I could accept it. Until I found the reviews.
"They don't write stories like this anymore."
"My mother read this when she was 13 years old. She has never forgotten it. I am thankful that Amazon sent it to me. This is a truly romantic story. Full of emotion. There are no bad words, no sexual details, but extremely emotional. This is a story that all girls dream about."
"Even though it is about kidnapping and forced affection (to say more would ruin it), it was terribly romantic!"
There are a couple of reviews that mention the gender aspects, although they're careful to say that it's that they don't buy Diana's transformation, but good God.