"adult" books vs. teen books

[orangerful]

So, I'm about to finish reading the first "adult" fiction book I have read in a long time. It's The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. I picked it up because it was getting rave reviews in all the journals and it was posted to Early Word. Even though it's not a very long book, I feel like it has taken me forever to read it. And now that I'm down to about 50 pages left, I've been thinking a lot about "Adult Fiction" versus "Young Adult Fiction" and why I find myself drawn to the YA area more often than not.

BTW, when I speak of "Adult Fiction", I'm talking about the literary fiction genre. These are the books that win the awards and get the rave reviews. The stories of everyday people and events.

ANYWAY - I find that, in teen books I feel like the point of telling the story is to have the character grow and learn. It always starts out tough, with life looking very grim, but by the end, the character has some kind of epiphany. You finish the book and you feel like they have accomplished something, you feel fullfilled as a reader.

But with Adult Fiction books, I feel like they tell a story and they are not obligated to have it go anywhere or do anything. I tend to find myself reading and saying "what is the point? these people were miserable at the start of the book and from the looks of it, they will be miserable at the end."

I wonder if this is why YA lit has grown so much in the past few years. I mean, yes Harry Potter and *shudder* Twilight have helped, but something is keeping those older teens and adults in this area of the library and bookstore. I think it is because when you finish these books, the ending means something more. There is a hero and they finish their journey and they grow from it. Even the most angsty teen books end with some kind of, for lack of a better word, lesson. Not in a preachy sense, but more of a "this is how life is, and I can deal with it now".

I dunno, I'm wondering if this all somehow links together to our cultural obsession with comic books and superhero movies right now too. It's not that they are juvenile - it's that the stories portray a hero vs an obstacle and we watch as they work towards overcoming it. Perhaps this is also the link to adult genre fiction too...

This is mostly just me thinking and typing, so I don't have any good examples, but...yeah...someone get me an AMST grad student who can devote more time to research this...

oh screw it, I'm gonna go watch the next Doctor Who episode...

Comments

[anakinfancheryl.livejournal.com]

I'm like you, I really prefer YA over Adult Fiction. I read for escape, and that's one reason I don't read a lot of AF. They write about so many everyday problems that just end up depressing me, and there's so much smut in AF too. I prefer a lot of really good story to sex,sex,sex. I really like the fantasy worlds of a lot of the YA.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

Hm, interesting comment since I think a lot of adults assume that YA books are full of sex. And some of them do have sex in them, but usually that sex actually MEANS something as opposed to the smut you're referring to where it's like "whoa, hey where did THAT come from!".

[marshmallow.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting idea.. I've never really thought about it in that way before, but that makes a lot of sense. I've been reading more and more YA fiction lately myself, and have noticed that it really does take a serious shifting of gears, bouncing back and forth between the two.

I think also, in terms of the YA series I've read recently, there's something a bit freeing in working within that classic bildungsroman frame for a series rather than a single novel.. the worlds developed around these characters are given so much time to build depth and history, I always come away from them feeling like I have a more vivid picture of the world than I do with a lot of adult series, where the plot is bogged down by perfunctory sex sequences, or weirdly detailed political maneuvering, or whatever. I think with a teen protagonist, the authors are able to tap into a clarity of vision that wouldn't be possible with most adults.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's like for it to qualify as an "adult" novel there must be some sort of random sex scene and some overt political commentary in one form or another.

While the recent trend of YA series was bothering me, the more I think about it, the more I realize I prefer series stories in other formats (tv shows, comic books) so why should I pick on books? It gives characters a chance to grow in more interesting ways when you spread it out over a series. My only pet-peeve is when the series is forced, but we all know how that is.

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

But with Adult Fiction books, I feel like they tell a story and they are not obligated to have it go anywhere or do anything. I tend to find myself reading and saying "what is the point? these people were miserable at the start of the book and from the looks of it, they will be miserable at the end."

I have this reaction, too. I have just started reading Herta Müller's Herztier (in Swedish; googling tells me it is called The Land of Green Plums in English) and I can't help but feel that while the starting point of the characters in the book isn't good, it is more likely than not to be a lot worse by the end! This may be in part due to the book reminding me of the film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days which is a horrifying film about two women in Romania at the end of the Communist regime. Don't get me wrong, the film is really well-made, but it is awful! The characters go on a journey from bad to worse and there really aren't any redeeming things in their life to make you think anything will ever get better. *shudder* I fear this book I am reading is going to leave me with the same night-mare inducing feeling.

Edited to fix html-coding.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I've had that movie in my Netflix queue forever and I'm just too scared to actually bump it up. But it's like putting "classics" on your GoodReads lists - it's the intention that counts, right? HAHA.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I think you've hit the nail on the head for that one. We have LOTS of teens at the library who want to read Jodi Picoult novels and Lovely Bones was a huge hit with the YA market. And I think it's because those angsty stories are so far away from their current life, they feel exotic. But, for me, it would be too depressing to read about sad people, sad families etc.

[ekaterin24.livejournal.com]

I prefer YA fiction too. In fact, I dislike realistic adult fiction--I find it either predictable, pretentious or depressing. Or a combination thereof.

YA characters usually seem more likeable to me too. I think because they're still exploring the world and discovering what life is and who they are becoming. Adults do that in some realistic fiction, but it doesn't seem to be as endearing, or as intense. Intensity is a major characteristic of most teens' personalities, so it's more likely to be in a YA book than an adult's (except maybe for suspense or some kinds of fantasy and SF).

I did read an adult book recently that I really enjoyed--but then it was far from "realistic"--historical supernatural mystery romance with a bit of steampunk--Soulless by Gail Carriger.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I find most of the "adult" books I tend to read and ENJOY are non-fiction or genre fiction.