Comments on: Romance Novels and Depression: A Taboo Topic?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:04:18 +0000

Scoundrel’s Kiss is on its way to me. I’m really looking forward to reading it, especially after your review.

By: katiebabs

katiebabs — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:03:14 +0000

Carrie sure does handle Ada’s addiction pretty well and the aftermath of it.

What an interesting post! I’ve read about heroes having depression from war but I can’t think of too many many characters with depression. The Portrait maybe up your alley because the hero is very manic depressive. But after it ended, I felt things were still not resolved because the hero would always have his problem. But the love of his heroine will help him get through it.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:15:35 +0000

@Janet W: Thanks for tracking down that Balogh story. I don't think I've read it. @Maili: Thanks for the book recs. I didn't start reading American-style romances until the late 90s, and I had a very limited selection to choose from at first. Maybe there was more variety in topics covered in earlier romances, not just in settings. @Angelo Thomas Crapanzano: I think this is why a book featuring depression would be hard to pull off, but probably no harder than one which deals with rape, alcohol abuse, etc. @JeanneTops: I've never read Megan Chance! I must see if I can find a copy of The Portrait. @Ann Somerville: Thanks for the Jules Jones recommendation. @ErotRomReader: Thanks! @heidenkind: Judith O'Brien...the name rings a bell. Thank you!

By: heidenkind

heidenkind — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:45:45 +0000

I read a Judith O’Brien book where the heroine was anorexic once. It was a YA novel, though.

By: Janet W

Janet W — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:51:58 +0000

I tracked down the Mary Balogh Christmas short story with a depressed heroine — “The Best Christmas Ever”. I’d be interested if anyone would agree that this heroine is mildly depressed.

By: ErotRomReader

ErotRomReader — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:50:32 +0000

This is a great topic! Wonderful post, Sarah
I’ve read all the comments with interest and pleasure. I really haven’t much new to add. I wouldn’t mind to read about depression in a romance novel as long as it’s not depressing! So far I didn’t encounter depressed heroes or heroines in the romances I’ve read!

Janna

By: Ann Somerville

Ann Somerville — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:28:28 +0000

@JeanneTops: You remind me that Jules Jones' m/m novel, Lord and Master, deals with one partner who is bipolar, and the other who accommodates that. It's beautifully done, and doesn't skate over the realities at all.

By: JeanneTops

JeanneTops — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:02:54 +0000

I would like to second the mention of Megan Chance’s The Portrait. Because it’s set in the mid-1800s, the hero’s bi-polar disorder is never named but it’s clear he suffers from it and is not going to recover either. We see the heroine as helping to alleviate the depression side of the disorder by ensuring the hero is well taken care of (eating well, not drinking or drugging and getting outdoor exercise.) I would call the book’s ending an HFN rather than an HEA.

By: Angelo Thomas Crapanzano

Angelo Thomas Crapanzano — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:45:34 +0000

The reason I don’t write or would read a book with depresion in it is that it is to close to reality. I read to get away from every day reality. Most of us have more than enough in our lives as it is. There is always something that depreses us. From politics to ordinary business or family problems we have enough. I for one, only read books that have a happy ending. I read for the excitment of going places in books that I wouldn’t otherwise go. I, like most people I know read for entertainment.

By: Maili

Maili — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:39:50 +0000

After reading about the fifth book featuring PTSD, it struck me that using PTSD instead of other forms of anxiety/depression is sort of a cop out.
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Agreed.
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I noticed Carrie Lofty has a historical romance out in January 2010 which will feature an opium addict heroine. It’s called A Scoundrel’s Kiss and it’s the sequel to last year’s What a Scoundrel Wants. I’m very curious to see how she handles the issue.
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HeroinE in a romance novel?! Nice one. I’ll certainly check it out.
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Would you like to read romances featuring depressed characters? (Provided, of course, that the ending was uplifting.)
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Like with everything else, it depends on the overall story. If depression is part of it, so be it.
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Can you think of any romances in which the hero or heroine suffers from anxiety or depression, excluding PTSD?
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I came across some category romances featuring post-natal depression over years, but I can’t recall titles and authors’ names. Mostly Loveswept and Superromance.

Oh, Sandra Canfield wrote the one with the hero as a police officer who was feeling depressed – driven by guilt – after (if my memory is right) his male partner was sexually assaulted. I think the title is Dark Journey? Or Tigers by Night? I can’t remember, sorry. Her books are usually good, so any will do!

Quite a few of Megan Chance’s books feature depression – off my head: The Way Home and After the Frost. In The Portrait, the hero had a bi-polar disorder (which is never named in the actual story). Meagan McKinney’s books as well, but I’d not read them as – even though they are historicals – some are seriously dated. I think her romantic suspense novel revolves around the heroine’s reaction to her sister’s murder? I think it’s A Man to Slay Dragons?

A couple of Theresa Weir’s books feature depression and anxiety as well. In Loving Jenny, the heroine had issues including depression (not portrayed in the story, I think). Hero of Cool Shade suffered from a phobia and a long-term anxiety disorder, I think.

In one of Anne Stuart’s category romances, the heroine suffered from depression badly enough to try and cut one of her wrists. The act wasn’t described, but the aftermath of the bathroom was. I think she also had another – probably Angel’s Wings (a 1930s-era romance). Marilyn Pappano’s category romances feature it often, and a single title – I can’t remember if it was Suspicion or Passion, but one of them dealt with rape victim heroine’s depression.

It’s getting too long, but yeah, there were quite a few romance novels around, but nowadays? Not so much.