There is no reason that a romance relationship needing to be healthy in a novel. If anything, there are narrative reasons for them not being healthy.

It’s not the author’s responsibility to showcase healthy relationships. And frankly they aren’t usually very interesting.

Romance books are basically a form of porn. It’s fantasy. A torrid romance, unrequited love, rebellion, a dashing hero, yadda yadda.

And just like porn, nobody watches it for healthy sex. They watch porn for the visually striking and the taboo. People read romance for the saucy affairs.

I haven’t read this book and I never will. But it failing to showcase healthy relationships is a critique beside the point.

I work adjacent to the system.

At the majority of DV sentencings in my county, the victim shows up to speak (or has a left a statement with the DA’s Office) and is angry at the DA’s Office for prosecuting. And wanting forgiveness and leniency for the defendant. Or outright recanting.

It’s amazing and horrifying

Biological factors

Cultural choice factors.

They both feel icky because they both have a racist history. But you do have to consider them.

I wasn’t sad about any of those…

You talk like you are brainwashed.

Not even what you are saying, just how you are saying it.

It’s wild.

Romans in that time period accused everyone of incest. It was a cultural thing to accuse others of. There’s almost never a real reason to think it really happened.

It’s important to note that morality with men in Rome worked very differently than with women. But yes Augustus didn’t fuck his sister.

One of the largest and most successful charitable organizations in the world. Also cannot seem to stop hiding child molesters amongst its clergy.