And I have noticed this trend quite a bit in YA literature. We orphan our characters simply because it's too complicated to add that mom and dad dynamic into the adventure mix. It's just...like...so not cool. I think we've all noticed Disney's penchant for offing one or both parents of their characters. So many of us do it!
Some authors try to get around the parents in various ways. The child runs away, the parents become trapped, the parents are negligent or distracted (or downright mean), or, in one famous example, all the children are sent to a magical boarding school with minimal supervision.So I wracked my brain and tried to come up with some novels where the parents were involved from the very beginning. I had to know: do we need to get rid of parents? Or can we keep them around? The first example that came to my mind was The Unspeller by Eileen Sharp. She notoriously keeps families a priority in her books--everything centers around the family dynamic in her plots, and I like that about her. Her main character does get sent away from parents for a bit, but he is with older siblings the whole time, and the parents are a presence all throughout. Did it detract? Oddly enough, no. It didn't.
Another YA book with involved parents that came to mind was actually Twilight. She still had curfews, and Stephenie didn't just kill off the parents out of convenience. In that case, it was logical, but I wouldn't say it added to the book.
If we're going the movie route, Disney decided to veer off the beaten (stamped and crushed to death) path with their movie "Brave." In that case, it was a mother-daughter adventure, and I remember thinking, "Well this is different!" Different it may have been, but its not my favorite Disney movie. It was fun and I enjoyed it, but there was something decidedly unromantic about adventuring with one's mother.
But are there any YA books where the parents go with the teen on their adventure? Go to help them with their spells or their vampirism or werewolf problems? I can't really think of any. And why should there be? I'm of the opinion that orphaning our characters, in whatever way, is probably for the best. Because when it comes down to it, YA books are about growth. They are about discovering one's self, and what young people are capable of becoming. While my parents were instrumental in my development, there were things I had to learn on my own. Away from them.
So how about it. If you are an author do you orphan your characters? If you are a reader, can you think of any books that might prove me wrong about teens adventuring best without parents? Lend me your thoughts!
The children in my books are still living with their parents. Although I am having to think of different ways to let them escape on their adventures without mum and dad suspecting anything.
ReplyDeleteIt makes you wonder: What YA author hasn't struggled with this little detail? How to get the rents out of the way!
DeleteOh, and do share your book! I love finding new books, so I always encourage that here on my blog.
My second novel, _Salamander_ (published as a Kindle on Amazon, since my first novel didn't do well enough to make Baen want to publish a second), isn't really YA, but one of the two protagonists is probably about seventeen when the book starts. Her father is a very powerful mage in hiding for plot related reasons and generally believed to be long dead. Her mother is a mage who prefers to keep a low profile as a healer in her home village. Ellen is a student at a college of magic who knows much more about the subject than an entering student should know--a product of extensive home schooling by both parents.
ReplyDeleteIn the early part of the book she does not know of her father's existence, due to a magical suppression of the relevant memories, done to reduce the risk that she will spill the fact that he is still alive, and her mother doesn't enter the plot until it's quite far along. The reader does not know anything about either parent at that point.
The result is that Ellen is effectively on her own in the early part of the book, getting some help from her father later on, limited by his unwillingness to do anything that risks exposing his existence. When I originally planned the book he was the protagonist, but Ellen ended up taking over the story.
I think as long as the teenaged protagonist is old enough and competent enough to make independent action plausible--I myself entered college at sixteen, and I've met a girl who did it at fourteen--all you need is a plausible reason to keep the parents from being centrally involved in the plot. Given that, I think family can be useful for providing an emotional background for the protagonist.
Great thoughts here! I agree that family can be instrumental in a book--necessary even. And it sounds like you've found a great balance in your book!
DeleteI love this post! I'm so glad that I found your blog! I think that you're right, there is a tendency to have a character orphaned, not just for the added freedom, but for the added loss. For a young adult, what defines probably the biggest part of their world? Their family and their parents. So if they are orphaned, or their parents ignore them, then there is that increased need to accomplish something or to attain some kind of goal.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post!
Spot on! Taking away their family does take away that core of their life. It's their initial support, and when the YA has to build a new support while facing challenges, well...it's entertaining to read about! Great thoughts!
DeleteI have just finished my first YA novel and I didn't orphan my main character but she is being raised by a single parent. I tried to show a strong relationship however, I remember what my teenage years were like - and I didn't share everything with my folks. There were secrets...and I made sure that my MC had her own secrets.
ReplyDeleteYou discovered things on your own?? Heresy!!
ReplyDeleteLove, Mom