I’ll be the first to admit I tend to lean toward uncomplicated, happy romances by default. Like bacon and cheese, such books make up the majority of my dietary preferences, literarily speaking. However, these aren’t the books I savor. They aren’t the ones to win awards and acclaim and get talked about nonstop.
I could be way off base, but it seems to me those spaces in our hearts tend to be reserved for the tragic tales. Now, since we here at Inspy Romance focus on CCR, we’ll stick to that genre, which means certain rules apply to our tragedies. They still require romantic love that ends happily and threads of faith (whether overt or subtle) that lead to characters overcoming whatever tragedy or trauma stands in the way of that happy romantic ending.
Now that the parameters are in place, let’s talk about why we love sad stories. We could get technical and talk about catharsis and endorphins and bio-chemical responses, but that might bore you to tears. Instead, let’s talk about it purely from a human experience standpoint.
As readers, we all know how books make us feel things, how reading makes us more empathetic. There’s no avoiding tragedy as part of the human experience. We all experience it on some level at some point in our lives. Considering we were created for connection, it makes sense that reading others’ experiences builds that connection as it allows us to see through someone else’s point of view.
Why am I thinking about all of this?
A few reasons. If you’re part of my email list, you’ll know we’ve faced several losses recently both in my family and in the reading community (including the heartbreaking loss of fellow author and former IR blogger Marion Ueckermann). I also read a few posts recently comparing people’s reading tastes pre-covid, height of covid, to now. It’s been interesting to see how many chose primarily comedies versus how many actually preferred tragic stories. I read one person’s comment that she walked away from tragic stories, specifically romances with an HEA, with a fresh outlook and appreciation for life.
What do you think? Do you ever go through phases where you just need to read something sad? Do you still want the tale to end happily?
I’m curious about your answers, truly!
Last week I reread one of my novellas from last year, This and Every Christmas, (which I’ll be releasing individually here in a couple of months) in preparation for writing its follow-on book for this year’s Christmas Lights Collection. I set out to write a story that was light and happy and Hallmark worthy, but as it progressed, I was hit with loss after loss for my poor hero. I never would’ve imagined readers would connect with a story in which three key people in his life die within the span of a few chapters, yet I’ve been hearing over and over again it’s one of their favorites. (You can’t see my shoulders shrugging, but trust me, they are.) It made me wonder.
And then there’s a major tragedy that sets the foundation for my entire novella Braver With You in the upcoming Save the Date collection. I had no idea when I started writing Ashlyn and Conrad’s childhood sweethearts story that such heartache would be the basis of not only her backstory, but his! I won’t spoil the details (though I do hope you’ll pre-order your copy of the collection for only 99¢ and then leave us a review with your thoughts) but writing the trauma she experienced as a little girl and understanding how it impacted every significant person in her life was eye-opening for me as a writer.
Life is hard, loss even harder. Perhaps that’s why we connect so well to characters who’ve faced things we have or worse. Maybe it’s finding hope for ourselves in the hard times, even when our only example of coming out the other side is a fictional character. I’m not exactly sure, but it’s definitely worth spending some time contemplating.
So I’ll let you contemplate, then you can leave a comment below to share about whether or not you connect best to characters who’ve faced tragedy or trauma and why you think that might be. I’d love to read your responses to my above questions. And then just to lighten things up, I’ll choose one random commenter to receive an advance review e-copy of Braver With You OR This and Every Christmas, winner’s choice. Also, if you have any great book suggestions for CCR titles in which characters face and overcome tragedy, I’ll give you an extra entry into the giveaway!
Until next time, happy reading (or not)!
A lot of the books I read are sad & end up happy in the end. I love them either way.
Thank goodness there are so many books to choose from, right? Lol!
My reading diet is usually mostly happy books or not too tragic conflicts to the point where it makes me cry.
But sometimes it makes me want to read a “heavier” book that makes me worry about how everything is going to end and it is tragic or there are complicated issues (sex trafficking, crime, mental problems etc), but I must ALWAYS know that it will end well, we simply cannot talk about a story that has God on the scene if there is no hope and the ending is horrible. If it is about reading something horrible, tragic, hopeless and with a bad ending, then I take one of the many books by non-Christian authors that are on the market that show the characters going through terrible things without having God in their lives.
Recently a non-Christian romance book was translated into Spanish where the protagonist goes through horrible things, the hero too, and since God does not appear on the scene, his “happy ending” is one without God, full of traumas and focused on “continuing to live” traumatized and Together in the secular world there seems to be a certain feeling that it is romantic. The difference is that in a Christian story there is always a luminous feeling behind because with God nothing can be a tragedy in the end, the same Bible teaches us that we will have an eternal HEA.
Absolutely! Excellent viewpoint. Thank you for sharing, Lilly.
I like reading Christian romance where people have normal problems, tragedies, and mistakes and how they are handled and worked through.
Me too. The stories are more relatable.
I like tragedy. It makes the story and the characters deeper. But I require a happy ending. I’m all CCR as far as reading, since the HEA is guaranteed.
yeppers!
I think reading about those who go through trauma or trouble gives us the hope we can make it through the troubles that come our way too. Reading about their faith journey through their troubles is a good reminder to also always rely on my faith.
When I’ve read books that are particularly intense emotionally, I usually need to read a lighter book with some humor.
For sure!! I can only do a few intense books a year.
That’s an excellent point. Bless you too!
Yes, there are times that I want to read something sad. It maybe that I need to cry, but are not able to bring the tears to the surface. By reading something sad, I maybe able to cry. I also love for the book to have a happy ending. God bless you.
Sometimes I feel like I need a sad story BUT with the happy ending!
The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers is a masterpiece indeed!
So I’ve heard! It’s on my list. I always need a happy ending. I feel ripped off when there’s not. Lol!
I too like more tragic type stories at times, I think because they move me and help me see others more empathetically than I might have before reading the story. Then there are times where life is just going wrong and I need those stories that are guaranteed to make me smile or laugh, where I know there will be a HEA. It just depends on my mood, but both types of stories are so important. One of the stories that has really stayed with me is The White Rose Resists by Amanda Barrat.
Ooh, I’ve heard many good things about that book. And I definitely need there to be an HEA no matter what!
I love reading different genres and I think that when a book has tragedy and loss in it and lots of happy times, I think that is more to real life and readers can feel more comfortable with that because it is more true to life, in the real world there is sadness , happiness and all kinds of emotions so I love reading books that include all of these life living things. Thank you for the chance. “Desire of My Heart and With All of My Heart by Heidi Gray McGill are both Great reads, I loved reading them both. Also Nowhere Near Goodbye by Barbara Conrey is a Great read also. Have a Great week and stay safe. God Bless you and your family.
Thanks for your suggestion! And you’re so right about the range of emotions being more true to life.
Hi, Jaycee!
Yeah, that’s a poser. I tend to be conflict averse so stories involving sad things at the hands of others usually make me want to switch to something else. Several “women’s fiction” titles have struck me that way. I usually identify with the folks on the short end of the stick.
However, I think this may be one of the reasons that I enjoy the marriage of convenience trope so much. One of the main characters has usually gone through (or is going through) some form of tragedy or loss that makes considering a marriage of convenience necessary. The CCR expectation that God is working in one or both of the partners to open up to true love is what draws me to the story again and again. Two that I can think of like that are Carol Moncado’s Discovering Home and Hanna Hart’s The Billionaire’s Fake Marriage. Hanna Hart’s book may not be CCR, just clean romance (it’s been a while since I read it) but the presence of tragedy is the same.
While I prefer not to get too heavy in the tragedy department (some of Alana Terry’s stories can overwhelm me pretty quickly), I’m also not drawn to all rainbows and unicorns either. They’re like pigging out on cotton candy. It’s not too long before it becomes too much. Blech!
Fortunately, there are a lot of CCR authors (you among them) that manage the balance well. My TBR pile overfloweth!
Aw, thank you! And is there a reader out there whose TBR doesn’t overflow? 🤣
I love books that touch every emotion. I love to laugh and cry in the same books. A story with a heavy subject can still have comic relief. I like to use kids for that. You know kids “say the funniest things.”
Most definitely! Kids are a great vehicle for comedic relief. Pets and elderly family, too. Lol!
Right now, I seem to veer towards series (Chapel Cove, love off Limits) that are generally but there is pain in the backstory…parent leaving, etc.
I gravitate toward generally hoot books more as well. But I do love a complicated or painful backstory!
My reading life is always going through phases. In fact that’s one way I choose what to read next. I like sad books and happy endings because they reflect true life. Thank you
Very true!
What an interesting question. I probably do avoid sad stories, but this is not new for me. I don’t like crying, so if I know in advance a book will make me cry, I generally avoid it. That being said, I’ve read a LOT of books that have made me cry.
I think in general I prefer happy books. I like books that will life my spirits. I am also drawn to happy covers.
Lol! I completely resonate with this. 😄
I always enjoy finding new authors
Me too. ☺️
I would have to say that I enjoy different types of books at different times in my life. When life.feels overwhelming, I often choose something light to distract myself. I need to be in the right frame of mind to handle the heavy stuff, but I am always moved and uplifted by the ways God uses to bring Christians through the storms.
Amen! Well said.
RomCom’s are great and I read them often, but the books that stick with me are the ones where the characters struggle through tragedy or hardships and grow in their faith and find love. Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes comes to mind. I find I root harder for the characters who have been through it.
Most definitely! I’ve been hearing wonderful things about that book.
I’ve read many books where the hero and/or heroine has overcome tragedy. Joy Avery Melville’s books, Meant for Her and Sown in Peace are both extremely good. I must be slightly weird, Covid hasn’t affected what I read at all!! I read the same types of books I’ve always read. I do have to say, I’ve never really liked RomCom and still don’t! I like books that deal with “real life” issues. Karen Kingsbury has quite a few books where characters dealt with different tragedies, too.
Real life issues definitely make books more interesting. Thank you for the suggestions!
It makes me so happy to discover new books and authors!📚🥰 Having the opportunity to enter a contest is the icing on the cake!🍰
Thank you! To enter the giveaway, be sure to answer the prompt in the post! Thanks for stopping by. ☺️