Do you remember your first book boyfriend?
I remember being a girl and being so mad at Jo. How could she pick Friedrich over Laurie in Little Women?!?! I thought, what is she thinking?!? Now that I am an adult, I realize she made the right choice for her and as an adult I rather have Friedrich over stupid Laurie.
You’ll find my other first book boyfriend in the pages of Anne of Green Gables. “We are going to be the best of friends. We were born to be good friends, Anne. You’ve thwarted destiny enough.”
I read a lot of dark fiction now and the characters are usually pretty flawed. I wouldn’t want to be in a relationship with any of them. My last book boyfriend was probably Harry from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. He was her biggest supporter!
What makes a good book boyfriend (or girlfriend)?
Each reader is going to want something different. One reader might like teasing while another might hate that. One reader might want a violent protector while another might want gentle kindness. A character might win the girl but not the reader in the end. One way to up your chances in the battle of the book boyfriends is to give your readers options. I’ll never pick Edward or Jacob if Jasper is on the table. Twilight really did book boyfriends well. Look how many choices readers had in that series! Give the readers options and you will have a better chance at a reader/character love match!
Book boyfriends often have a physical appeal to the reader – that doesn’t necessarily mean chiseled abs like Jacob. I personally thought Sirius Black was sexy in a punk rock kinda way. There is often some sense of loyalty to something— friends, kin, a cause. Sometimes they make sacrifices or have a selflessness about them. Often, they show respect for the heroine. They show emotional availability sometimes, sometimes not, but usually by the end, they form a connection.
I believe in The Hunger Games, Gale was the better match for Katniss right up until she had to move on/forward from the Games and build a new life. I think she could only do that with Peeta. Book boyfriends are often the ones the characters (or we) feel they can move forward with.
At the end of the day, a great book boyfriend is someone who complements the heroine’s journey. They might not be perfect, but they’ll push her (and the reader) to grow, evolve, and find happiness. Whether it’s through their loyalty, their flaws, or their love, they leave an impact long after the book ends. And isn’t that what makes us long for them?
Who is your book boyfriend? Do you keep the book boyfriend trend in mind when writing?
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