I was alerted to this recently published list just tonight! NPR’s Top 100 Killer Thrillers is a “reader’s choice” list of the top 100 thrillers, compiled by NPR. It’s got all kinds of unexpected titles on it. There’s “The Shining”, and also “The Hunger Games”… Agatha Christie and also Neal Stephenson. As Maureen Corrigan, who served on the advisory panel that compiled the list, noted, many of the choices are very dark. Check out the list and see for yourself!
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The “Ick” Factor in YA Fiction
A trend I’ve noticed lately in YA fiction, especially the paranormal titles aimed at teen girls, is something I call the “ick” factor.
When I’m reading a YA paranormal and all of a sudden I’m knocked out of the story because the situation is so wrong I can’t buy it, or because the characters are acting in ways that make me want to shake them…. usually, that’s because of the “ick” factor.
“Hush, Hush” is a great example of this. Nora, the narrator, intuitively KNOWS that Patch, who she’s been paired with for a school unit on human sexuality is creepy. She asks to change partners, and the teacher not only refuses, he singles them out in class and requires her to tutor her partner. This goes beyond just icky behavior to disturbing. And that doesn’t even touch on the way Nora starts to act when she is around Patch. He acts creepy. He’s a jerk to her. He even tells her he’s a threat to her. Yet she constantly puts herself in danger to be with him. “Hush, Hush” is a bestseller, so lots and lots of girls are reading about Nora and Patch. I’ll also say the cover art is amazing, and screams out “pick me up”! A lot of people obviously have.
But that’s just one outstanding example of the “ick” factor. Sometimes the “ick” factor is almost under the radar. I hate to pick on Jackson Pearce, but the age difference of five years between the romantically involved characters in “Sisters Red” (he’s 21, she’s 16)… well, frankly, most people who see a 21 year old getting involved with a high school aged girl wonder what’s up. I like “Sisters Red”, but the age thing bugs me.
Now, I don’t see this in all YA books. The Generation Dead books by Daniel Waters are great, with strong protagonists and organically flowing plots… I don’t get that icky feeling (even though many of the characters are zombies… THAT’s an accomplishment}. So I know those books, the YA books I can feel good about reading and recommending, are out there. The question is, are they finding their way to those voracious YA-I-loved-Twilight readers? I would hate to think that a lack awesome cover art and marketing are keeping good YA books from getting into the hands of people who would love them, if they only knew.
Suggestions, anyone?
What Happened Next?
I just read Stuart Little to my five year old. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s a book about a child who has the looks and size of a mouse, born into a normal family. Naturally there are many struggles in life when you are mouselike, and you see the world a little differently. Stuart’s family rescues a wounded bird, Margalo, who becomes his friend, but in the middle of the night, Margalo disappears without a word. Stuart decides to go on a journey and attempt to find Margalo. You’re probably wondering what this has to do with horror fiction. Here’s the thing- and I didn’t remember this- after many adventures, Stuart drives off. And that’s the story. “What happened next”? my son asked. Well, we don’t know. Did Stuart ever find Margalo? Did he ever go home? We can only imagine. E.B. White never wrote a sequel, although my son is convinced the sequel, “Stuart and Margalo”, is out there somewhere. After all, there are at least three Stuart Little movies.
There aren’t too many books that end this way anymore- books that end with the reader asking “Wait, what happened next”? These days if you have that question after you’ve turned the last page, you can be pretty sure there’s a sequel out there, especially in the YA market.
Do you prefer for your books to come in series, where you know a sequel will deal with the loose ends? Or do you get frustrated that everything seems to come in series that never end? What do you think about books that leave you with uncertainty at the end?
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