Fiction for Haters: A Love Story

I love reading books that I fully expect to be terrible messes. See: Twilight Series. Reading a book that has terrible writing brings a joy I can't fully describe. It's kind of like Tosh.0 in word form. Watching people fail isn't a delight reserved only for the realm of youtube. The only downside is I can't see the author's face when I eviscerate their hard work.

I seek out books that have no chance of being halfway decent: see Shatter Me. I've been looking for a book as God awful as Shatter Me since the moment the book was over (the sequel won't be out for some time). And although Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick is no Shatter Me, it is terrible. Ah.


If you think this book is a blatant Twilight rip-off that substitutes vampires for fallen angels, you'd be right! Nora and Patch (yes rebel, bad boy, fallen angel is named Patch.) meet in Biology class, as lab partners.


Now where have I read that before?

Both books feature ageless, supernatural dudes who prey on high school girls. Both teach teens horrible life lessons. Both use the power of the internet to confirm their suspicions about their unusual paramours. But Hush, Hush takes the reprehensible genre of paranormal teen fiction to a new low.


Like most mediocre YA fiction Nora is a clumsy do-nothing who is too stupid to live. Without exception every male character, including police officers, abuse Nora in one way or another. They intimidate her, threaten, physically harm, stalk, sexually harass, they alter her thoughts, and act like jerks. Nora's response: OMG should I do something? She never stands up for herself or says, hey your unwanted sexual comments make me uncomfortable.


Throughout the story Nora is half convinced that her smoking hot lab partner is trying to kill her. But he's such a hottie! Example: "If rape, murder or any other miscreant activities were on Patch's mind, he'd cornered me in the perfect place." Let's do a close reading. Nora believes that the chiseled hunk she's falling for wants to rape and murder her. But she can't stay away, because he's so fine. She seeks him out even though she thinks he will cause her physical harm. In the meantime he acts like a tool.

This book follows an abusive relationship = love trend I'm noticing more in YA FIC.

http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/abusive-relationship


http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2885363/1/Teen_Dating_Violence_in_the_Twilight_Series


http://community.feministing.com/2011/04/06/abusive-is-the-new-sexy-why-books-like-twilight-are-dangerous/


At one point Patch pins Nora to a bed and tells her he wants to murder her. This is after he used his super powers to manipulate her thoughts so he could isolate her, and lure her to a motel room. He tells her no one can hear her scream.


But because he's in love with her it ok, according to Bacca Fitzpatrick. She, like Stephanie Meyer before her, sends the message that if he stalks you, he loves you! He just wants to watch you sleep!


I set out expecting to hate this book because of its poor writing, aggravating characters (one is named Chauncey), and silly plot twists/holes. But I never realized I'd be able to hate it because of the terrible messages it sends to impressionable young tweens. My dislike is so nuanced now!


Never forget girls, if he doesn't threaten to kill you, it's not true love.