These are all fascinating thoughts! Like others, I bristle a bit at the label itself: books about men are just called “literary fiction” or “contemporary fiction.” Why do books about women need to be subdivided into women’s fiction, chick lit, beach reads, sad girl novels, etc?
The existence of “sad girl novels” implies that the default emotion of women should be something else (happiness, contentment), and that women aren’t allowed the full breadth of emotion the way men are.
love hearing your thoughts on this!! it is very interesting that this ‘sub genre’ of fiction has been labelled ‘sad girl books’, particularly when a lot of the novels focus on female rage, and quite rightly so. i understand that the label rubs people the wrong way, i just hope it doesn’t deter people from actually reading the books as there are many great novels slotted amongst them.
i might start referring to jd salinger’s and bret easton ellis’ books as ‘sad boy books’ in my videos and see the reaction haha
you’re so right, this happens with literally every media form. the rise of sad girl music over the past few years has absolutely skyrocketed and i have been no exception to that!! this was so great leah 💌
One difference I notice is that Bell Jar is an intellectually lively book about feeling half-dead, some of the others you mention have a protagonist so numbed by grief that they have almost no inner life and just narrate the dull, depressed days of their lives.
It’s realistic to have a character who deals with their pain by not thinking about it, but it doesn’t make for a great novel.
Great post. Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason is a “sad girl novel” that has a lot of depth and doesn’t sugar coat “sadness” at all. In fact it’s a witty depiction of what serious mental illness can really look like that still somehow makes you laugh in spite of the heavy themes.
I completely agree with this! I recently went to a writers festival session with authors of sad girl books and they were all complaining that the term was sexist and simplistic, but as you say I think that we need labels to be able to categorise and therefore sell things, and I don’t think that contradicts the real complexities of these books!
i can see where they’re coming from, sometimes it can feel a little reductive in the same way that labelling books ‘chick lit’ can be. especially as books by male authors like murakami wouldn’t be referred to as ‘sad boy books’ (although i would happily call them that lol). but i still don’t think the label negates the importance and complexities of the stories themselves. reading and understanding the nuances of a book is so much more important than its marketing.
These are all fascinating thoughts! Like others, I bristle a bit at the label itself: books about men are just called “literary fiction” or “contemporary fiction.” Why do books about women need to be subdivided into women’s fiction, chick lit, beach reads, sad girl novels, etc?
The existence of “sad girl novels” implies that the default emotion of women should be something else (happiness, contentment), and that women aren’t allowed the full breadth of emotion the way men are.
love hearing your thoughts on this!! it is very interesting that this ‘sub genre’ of fiction has been labelled ‘sad girl books’, particularly when a lot of the novels focus on female rage, and quite rightly so. i understand that the label rubs people the wrong way, i just hope it doesn’t deter people from actually reading the books as there are many great novels slotted amongst them.
i might start referring to jd salinger’s and bret easton ellis’ books as ‘sad boy books’ in my videos and see the reaction haha
Yes I find that the label can be a bit reductive and actually the books that are called that are so much more expansive.
And haha, I love that!
I loved this! Especially your point about objectification
you’re so right, this happens with literally every media form. the rise of sad girl music over the past few years has absolutely skyrocketed and i have been no exception to that!! this was so great leah 💌
thank you!! 🤍
One difference I notice is that Bell Jar is an intellectually lively book about feeling half-dead, some of the others you mention have a protagonist so numbed by grief that they have almost no inner life and just narrate the dull, depressed days of their lives.
It’s realistic to have a character who deals with their pain by not thinking about it, but it doesn’t make for a great novel.
very true, although i do think managing to make a novel that’s not really about anything entertaining and engrossing is a sign of a good writer
Great post. Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason is a “sad girl novel” that has a lot of depth and doesn’t sugar coat “sadness” at all. In fact it’s a witty depiction of what serious mental illness can really look like that still somehow makes you laugh in spite of the heavy themes.
yes sorrow and bliss is SUCH a good example of a book like this done well! equal parts devastating and humorous
this is so so so well written i loved this
🤍🤍
we are on the same wavelength!! i posted a similar piece yesterday about this genre haha
love that!! this is one of the first posts i wrote before even setting up my substack haha, just needed somewhere to put it 💌
I completely agree with this! I recently went to a writers festival session with authors of sad girl books and they were all complaining that the term was sexist and simplistic, but as you say I think that we need labels to be able to categorise and therefore sell things, and I don’t think that contradicts the real complexities of these books!
i can see where they’re coming from, sometimes it can feel a little reductive in the same way that labelling books ‘chick lit’ can be. especially as books by male authors like murakami wouldn’t be referred to as ‘sad boy books’ (although i would happily call them that lol). but i still don’t think the label negates the importance and complexities of the stories themselves. reading and understanding the nuances of a book is so much more important than its marketing.
i recently got that one! very excited to read it