For today’s Road Trip Wednesday, YA Highway wants to know: What’s your favorite display of affection in a YA?
Yeah, I don’t like to play favorites. Probably because my favorite changes depending on what mood I am in. So I don’t think I am going to really answer this question as much as I am going to just ramble on (hopefully on the subject at least).
I see a lot of romance in YA books. I get why that is: adolescence is a time of heightened emotions, increased hormones, and exploration. First love comes along and the feelings that accompany that are intense. It only makes sense that we see a lot of this in YA literature – it is real to life.
There are a lot of relationships I would like to see developed more in YA though. I would like to see more affection between parents and their kids, between siblings, between friends.
The parent issue: in a lot of YA I read it seems that the parents are just mysteriously gone. I know that the story belongs to the teenager, so that is where the focus is, but I would like to see more parents. (I should also admit straight out that I am guilty of this as well – the parents in Incubus are all but nonexistent it seems. But I make it up with a strong father/daughter bond in Jack. 
) Aprilynne Pike did a great job writing a solid relationship between a teenager and her parents in Wings.
Siblings: When we are teenagers, our siblings are often our worst enemies. But, they are also often our best friends. The bond between two siblings is a strong one, and one I would like to see explored more in YA. Only Child Syndrome seems to be running rampant in YA. I love when I find a book where siblings interract, show affection for each other, even fight. The dynamics between siblings are interesting and something that adds depth to YA. I am looking forward to Jackson Pearce’s Sisters Red because of the relationship between the two sisters.
Friends: Often times I see friends portrayed in books as just being there – someone to shoot the breeze with, a catalyst for the conflict, a trusty helper. But what I really love seeing is when friends show affection for each other. When you can read their story and know that these two characters really care for each other, that they would make sacrifices for each other. And they show each other that. The Harry Potter books are great at showing this.
So there you have it. I would like to see more non-romantic affection in YA. Don’t leave the romance behind – I still like some good old snogging as much as the next reader – but let’s add some other affection as well.
If you have any recommendations of YA books with strong parent/child, sibling, or friendly affection, I would love to hear them!
3 Comments
ITA– Healthy family and friend relationships are important and neglected in a lot of works.
great post! I am also guilty of both absent parents & only child syndrome, although in my debut, the MC-mother & MC-sister relationships are huge elements of the book.
Yay! I like to see that. I can’t wait to read LIKE MANDARIN; it looks so good!