The Firefly/Serenity "family." |
Yesterday was Mother’s Day in the U.S., and it got me
thinking about family. Romance readers are clued in to family in a way that
other folks aren’t. I mean, romance is about relationships, right – not just
the obvious relationship between the characters who are falling in love, but
also, often, between the characters and their families. I’m sure there have
been romance novels about loner orphan friendless protagonists, but I don’t
think I’ve read any of them.
And the reason for that lack came to me last night, while
watching the decidedly not-a-romance Guardians
of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 – the reason why romance stories always have to be
about family.
Mary Balogh's series about the Bedwyn family. |
I don’t want to get too spoilery here, but everybody who’s
seen the trailer for the first Guardians of the Galaxy knows that there’s a
group – hence the plural “guardians” – that comes together and forms a cohesive
unit and saves the galaxy. Much like in The Avengers or The Justice League or
the Steel Magnolias, they form a team.
A family.
They must group up, form connections, because nobody accomplishes great things in a vacuum, whether it’s
saving the galaxy or negotiating a peace between shifters and humans or saving the
world from a power-hungry global consortium or thwarting a serial killer or keeping
the cute indie book store out of foreclosure. All these things that our
characters accomplish are testament not just to their inner willpower but
to the strength of the links they’ve formed with others.
Connections = relationships = family.
And nobody does relationships quite like romance writers.
So, thanks, romancelandia, for giving us all these models for strong
relationships. I can’t help thinking we all really need that message right now.
Because family also = hope.
The first of my Tether science fiction romance series. Which is about saving the world but also mostly about the families people get stuck with and the ones they choose to be part of. |
Vivien Jackson writes stories with robots, grenades, pixies, and always, always down-home salacious kissery. She's an unrepentant fangirl of many fandoms and would love to discuss your favorite ships here or here or here.
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