Taboo in YA?

Undercover · Jun 21, 2011

I'm developing a story where a character may or may not be a pediphille, not sure yet. But from the direction that it's going, sounds like this character will be, I can't think of another motive right now. But this is YA, is this too much? I'm sure it's been done before, but I'm not sure my agent will like it. So I'm asking you guys...

Archie1989 · Jun 21, 2011

Depends how central the character is and how he deals with it. If it's your main character and he's not even remotely disgusted with himself, you're probably looking at some trouble, but otherwise, I think it could work and also be very intriguing.

Undercover · Jun 21, 2011

Yeah, he's definitely NOT the main character, but a supporting lead, it's one of my sub-plots and not even the main plot.

I was going to portray him in the softest way possible,(even though the thought of it, creeps me out alone) But no actual scenes of it, def. NOT. Just to infer it though. Just not sure how I want to go about it.

It's weird, it's like I don't want to write it in, but it's screaming in my face to do it, ya know?

kaitlin008 · Jun 21, 2011

Is he supposed to be a sympathetic character? Personally, I would have a really hard time getting through a book where a character I was supposed to sympathize with was a pedophile. I would want to see some serious repercussions and it'd just have to be really well-handled. (See: Living Dead Girl, which was so, so hard to read, but so, so well done.)

thebloodfiend · Jun 21, 2011

Such a Pretty Girl dealt with a pedophile up close. He was the MC's father. It's not as graphic as Living Dead Girl.

Boy Toy deals with a boy realizing that he was indeed molested by his teacher (he thought that he'd seduced her).

You have a lot of leeway in YA. As long as he's not sympathetic.

Archie1989 · Jun 21, 2011

Based on what you've said, I think you can go for it. I definitely wouldn't try to make him sympathetic, but you should probably go into his internal struggle over his problem if you can, and I think avoiding graphic scenes is a good plan

Undercover · Jun 21, 2011

Yeah, there will be no sympathy for him whatsoever. I thought maybe the MC could kill him in the end too or something as in self defensive after she puts two and two together. It's told in first person, with one POV. Still toying with it. Thanks for the input guys.

Becca_H · Jun 21, 2011

How old would the character be?

I think so long as you do it well, you should be fine. The term paedophile isn't an absolute term, and there's plenty of variation of what you could and couldn't do with a character like this.

I studied it for a small amount of time at university. They can vary from all-out sexual predators through to terrified sexual deviants that are disgusted with their thoughts. You'd have plenty of scope for depth here.

MttStrn · Jun 21, 2011

There is a pedophile character in Chris Crutcher's Deadline and he makes him moderately sympathetic. It can be done but it is a fine fine line you walk. That said, just having a pedophile character is not taboo.

wavy3 · Jun 21, 2011

Yeah, it has definitely been done before (I've seen it twice so far), and I actually wrote a YA with such a character.

LadyA · Jun 22, 2011

I read a good short YA called SPIKED which dealt with paedophilia, and what happens after the paedophile is 'outed' - with a twist in the end. Do it, but don't make the paedophile too sympathetic x

Undercover · Jun 22, 2011

I get the sympathy thing and yet I don't.

You guys mean like don't make him a likable character? Like feel bad for the guy? Or have compassion to him?

Right now, he seems like a likable guy...hasn't done anything yet. Well sort of but I don't think the readers would catch it at that point.

Example. A girl (7) goes missing in the camp for about 30 minutes or so, but they find her wandering inside one of the main buildings. But she's different, doesn't talk much or anything.

Then later I was going to have the same thing happen to the MC's little sister, but she finds her too, before its too late type of thing.

Becca C. · Jun 22, 2011

Lmc71775 said:
Right now, he seems like a likable guy...hasn't done anything yet. Well sort of but I don't think the readers would catch it at that point..

Well, that's fine. What we're talking about is don't make it seems like pedophilia is okay. Once he's outed, once the reader know what's going on, it's okay to make the reader feel kinda sorry for him as a person, but the overall tone about the crimes he's committed has to condemn them. It would be too icky and weird if it seemed like the author was glorifying/condoning pedophilia!

thebloodfiend · Jun 22, 2011

Becca C. said:
Well, that's fine. What we're talking about is don't make it seems like pedophilia is okay. Once he's outed, once the reader know what's going on, it's okay to make the reader feel kinda sorry for him as a person, but the overall tone about the crimes he's committed has to condemn them. It would be too icky and weird if it seemed like the author was glorifying/condoning pedophilia!

Now that would be squicky.

I'm still on shaky ground about the relationship between Cecily and Lindon in Wither. It's ebophilia, not pedophilia, but it's never seen as weird or wrong. In fact, you're supposed to feel sorry for Lindon.

A thirteen-year-old and a twenty-one-year-old should not have sex. Ever. Unless it's condemned.

tcllnsfmly · Jun 22, 2011

Archie1989 said:
Depends how central the character is and how he deals with it. If it's your main character and he's not even remotely disgusted with himself, you're probably looking at some trouble, but otherwise, I think it could work and also be very intriguing.

I agree. As long as the MC isn't doing anything without guilt or anything too graphic I don't see what not.

aekap · Jun 23, 2011

I'm still on shaky ground about the relationship between Cecily and Lindon in Wither. It's ebophilia, not pedophilia, but it's never seen as weird or wrong. In fact, you're supposed to feel sorry for Lindon.

I just finished "Wither" this morning, and I disagree... the MC says, multiple times, how wrong she thinks it is for him to be sleeping with Cecily, how she's much too young to be a bride, how worried she is about her health, how she's grateful when Lindon's attentions turn to her so he'll leave Cecily alone, etc. And I think that Lindon is, overall, described in a pretty negative light. You feel sorry for him, sure, but you don't really like him, either.

thebloodfiend · Jun 23, 2011

aekap said:
I just finished "Wither" this morning, and I disagree... the MC says, multiple times, how wrong she thinks it is for him to be sleeping with Cecily, how she's much too young to be a bride, how worried she is about her health, how she's grateful when Lindon's attentions turn to her so he'll leave Cecily alone, etc. And I think that Lindon is, overall, described in a pretty negative light. You feel sorry for him, sure, but you don't really like him, either.

---spoilers for Wither and Let the Right One In---

My point is that he's still a sympathetic character. What he's doing isn't seen as wrong. He isn't seen as the bad guy. In fact, I'd say more of the blame is placed on Cecily than Lindon. I read the ARC, so I don't know what changed -- if anything -- between then and now, but I feel very strongly about that, particularly because he's never told off about his behavior and the crutch of Rhine's choice is whether she'll stay with him or go.

Another book with an actual pedophile in it is Let The Right One In. Hakan is disgusting, and that's constantly pointed out. But before he's turned, you can kind of feel sorry for him when you're in his head.

Taboo in YA?

Undercover

I got it covered

Archie1989

Is Published!!!

Undercover

I got it covered

kaitlin008

Seeing newness all the time

thebloodfiend

Cory

Archie1989

Is Published!!!

Undercover

I got it covered

Becca_H

Where am I again?

MttStrn

Action is my reward..that and bacon

wavy3

figuring it all out

LadyA

Always lurking, never posting...

Undercover

I got it covered

Becca C.

thebloodfiend

Cory

tcllnsfmly

aekap

New kid, be gentle!

thebloodfiend

Cory