An online petition has been launched in France to ban the sale of a dark romance novel that many readers have accused of trivialising the sexual abuse of minors.
WARNING: This article contains references to sexual abuse, paedophilia and incest.
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Dark romance is everywhere at the moment, from the resurgence of gothic aesthetics in fashion to steamy novels flying off the shelves.
Whether it’s the influence of Wednesday, corset kink courtesy of Wuthering Heights or simply the timeless love of fishnets, dark romance seems like more than a fleeting trend and something of a cultural movement that embraces both nostalgia and rebellion at a time when boldness can feel like the antidote to the complexities of modern life.
There’s been a rise in popularity for the dark romance literary subgenre, one defined by forbidden romances and narratives centered around transgressive relationships which straddle the line between desire and violence. The genre has enjoyed a post-COVID boom thanks to social media and the BookTok community on TikTok, with many authors turning to self-publishing following the success of their digital publications.
Book sales in France are skyrocketing, led by authors such as Sarah Rivens and her "Captive" trilogy, which has been translated into ten languages.
However, controversy is never far from these twisted romances, leading authors of dark romance novels to often include trigger warnings at the start of their novels, to better alert readers to the controversial topics within their works of fiction.
Still, one such warning has not stopped calls for boycott of “Corps à coeur” ("Body to Heart"), the dark romance novel by French author Jessie Auryann, who is at the centre of heated controversy in France.
Her novel, auto-edited and published on Amazon with an 18+ warning, focuses on Mélina, “an erotic influencer with a troubled past” who receives a mysterious gift from one of her followers. She sparks a disturbing relationship with Arkhan, “a young single father who is as attractive as he is suspicious, refusing to fall under her spell.”
“But Mélina always gets what she wants, and Arkhan will discover, at his own risk, how far she is willing to go to get him.”
The online reviews have been scathing, with many readers slamming the novel for its vapid shock tactics, calling it disgusting, and accusing Auryann of trivialising sexual abuse and glorifying paedophilia through explicit descriptions of abuse of minors, including infants.
“This rag is an inventory of sexual violence, physical abuse and brutality described with the enthusiasm of a technical manual,” reads one review, while another addresses the author directly: “Your approach is extremely unhealthy. The words chosen to describe a four-month-old baby and an infant are incredibly violent and do nothing to raise awareness.”
Another reader writes: “The author is herself a mother. Please report her book and her identity to social services, as it is not acceptable to write a book that trivialises or even romanticises incest.”
An online petition has been launched, amassing more than 17,000 signatures. The petition calls for “Corps à coeur” to be banned, stating that Auryann’s book “crosses an ethical and legal red line that requires immediate intervention.”
Auryann, a 39-year-old “stay-at-home mother of three” from the Pays de la Loire region, states in her online biography that she writes “thrillers and dark romance which can border on pornogore”, adding: “My stories are built around uncomfortable situations and sensitive subjects, delving into things we would rather not discover.”
She goes on to write: “I play with society's taboos and talk about things we would rather keep quiet. I want readers to get caught up in the story and start thinking, to take a stance and question their certainties. So I don't hesitate to create disturbing and tortured scenes.”
She has defended herself on social media in the aftermath of the boycott, saying: “Contrary to the claims made to damage my image, my novel includes clear warnings, an author's note and explicit trigger warnings from the very first pages.”
Nevertheless, the book description on Amazon does not mention paedophilia or the rape of minors.
As of writing, Amazon have yet to issue a statement and “Corps à coeur” has not been banned. The book remains in fifth place on the e-book bestseller list.
