Can We Talk 2

Romances Too Predictable

         I'm reading a dumb romance novel. I thought it was going to be a western, and it does start out at the end of the Civil War. It quickly moves to Southern Indiana before going to Texas. However, it's really about falling in love with the wrong person, who probably will end up being the perfect person if this romance is true to form. Some cliches stand out.

         In the midst of war battles, two people find comfort in each other's arms. Six months later, after another peacetime trauma, they find each other and discover their bodies fit perfectly together. When have two bodies not fit perfectly together? One could be dead and lying on the floor; a second one trips and falls on the cadaver and their bodies would mold perfectly to each other. Nothing romantic about that. If two people want to be together, they will find a way to justify it.

         Maybe I'm just cynical or I've seen too much of this stuff. A lot of genres just have set formulas, so that when we see them, they just make us gag a little instead of sympathize with the characters. In fact the characters in this book are just too movie star-ish to be believable. I find myself being more sympathetic to the cold-hearted brother with a battle scar on his chin than the handsome, perfect doctor.

         We'd like to believe someday "my prince will come" or Santa will bring what I really want this year or this time I'm gonna win the big lottery. Reality doesn't fit into romance, no matter how many harsh scenes you create, or how many obstacles the hero and the beautiful maiden confront. And when one of them thinks, "Our bodies don't meld perfectly together," you can be sure that one is already moving on.