Hello and welcome to BLOGGER BITS! Let me give you a little run down on what Blogger Bits is. A few Bloggers and I have teamed up to discuss random bookish topics. As always at the end of this post you can find the other posts! Be sure to check them out!

This blogger bits post is all about Trigger Warnings!

I am beyond excited for this topic. Before I officially start discussing all things Triggers, I want to take the time and let everyone know this is an opinion piece. This post is based solely on my thought process when it comes to all things trigger related.

When it comes to my personal preference on triggers, I love the element of surprise. I love not knowing what I’m getting with the angst or dark novels that I read. Let’s face it, most Triggering subjects lie within the pages of these types of novels. For some readers though, triggers can be a crucial moment between a reader and his or her favorite authors.

Trigger warnings?

For those that aren’t sure what a Trigger warning is let me break it down for you. A trigger is anything that can cause distress and grief to a person. a trigger warning is an opening where subjected material is warned for readers. Just call me Webster cause I’m on a roll. Not much bothers me in the ‘Trigger’ department. I love dark reads and I love angst. To love these, you have to at least love a few triggering details. In all the books, I’ve read (and this stems back to childhood) I have only ever ‘not finished’ one book due to a trigger issue. There are so many ‘Triggers’ these days in the book world, it’s starting to become difficult to keep track of them all. As a blogger if the trigger doesn’t spoil the novel I try to be honest and help readers out if it is serious topics like; Rape, PTSD, Abuse. I completely understand why this can be triggered and cause a person distress while reading. Some triggers though are minuscule and will ruin the element of surprise. Below is a list of popular triggers that I’ve found are a make it or break it with some readers.

On a personal note, some of these triggers that are about to be listed I have been affected by. I have watched loved ones that I hold close to my heart affected by them also. This is an honest opinion from someone who has truly seen the devastation these subjects have caused.

INFIDELITY

Cheating is one of the most notorious triggers in the romance genre world. I can see how some are bothered by this subject. As I stated about, I love angst in my novels and you can’t get any more angsty than your favorite character stepping over the line and betraying the one he or she loves. This subject has to be executed flawlessly to get the point across, it can be a crucial make it or break it moment between an author and his or her readers. and trust me when I say the moment is very crucial and word spreads like wild fires if this subject is even mentioned. For example, a novel that was published last year had a lot of hate being spread around ‘before it was even released’ because it was led to believe from a brief excerpt the author released that the novel had ‘Cheating Content’. Of course, I’m the type of reviewer that needs to get down to the bottom of this. I had already requested an arc and was beyond excited to read it and see what all the fuss was about. To my disappointment, this novel had no cheating…at all. It was angsty as all hell and I loved it completely, but honestly it kind of pissed me off how one person’s words and assumptions affected this authors credibility and led so many people away from this fantastic novel.

Moral of the story, when you assume things……you get the drift.

This content doesn’t bother me at all even though I have lived through it. in fact, some of my favorite novels revolve around infidelity. I don’t see this as needing a trigger warning. and if you’re a person that needs to be warned about content such as cheating in novels, read the blurb, the warning is usually hiding in there.

Abuse (Physical, Emotional, Social)

This is a tough topic. When it comes to abuse, depending on how disturbing the content is, it should have a trigger warning. When I say depending on the content, what I mean is, if the content includes a full story about abuse and the abuse is extreme…Hell yeah that shit should have a trigger warning. But if for a few chapters the main character is being put down and called worthless or something like that, then the answer would be no, in my opinion, that doesn’t call for a trigger warning.

Standards for trigger warnings with abuse can range depending on who the person is and what their situation is. But an author needs to think about the outcome of the story and the majority of his or her fan base. One thing I noticed about ‘certain’ authors, in previous books they have written, the breach the subjected trigger lightly to see what kind of reaction they get from their readers. If the readers come back and say they loved the novel and the angst and whatever, then and only then do they come out with a novel where the subjected trigger is high and completely knocks us all off our feet.

Alcoholism/Drug Abuse

With books relating to this content, you will usually find the trigger warning in the synopsis. This is another subject that depending on the content should be warned. Drug Abuse is not a matter to take lightly. Some people hear the word drug and it’s an instant trigger. Imagine reading about the high a person feels while smoking that joint or pumping heroin into their veins, then take a step back and put yourself in a drug addict’s shoes. You wouldn’t want to read that content either. But as I stated above, most of the novels that adhere to these subjects are warned in the blurbs. If the content is minuscule then no it should not have to be warned.

Rape

Okay, the subject matter of rape in novels. Should it have a trigger warning. Absolutely. One thing I hate is when an author goes into full detail of a rape that is being committed. It sends chills down my spine. The sad point, this happens every day to people all around us. This subject isn’t light and frankly should not be detailed. I don’t need to know about blood running down thighs or tearing. That shit is unpleasant and even for me I would like to be warned about. It doesn’t mean that I won’t read the novel because, again, it leads to the perfect angsty novels. Now if the content isn’t detailed and just mentioned as ‘happening’ than no I don’t feel it needs to have a trigger warning in place.

I unfortunately don’t have a favorite book with this trigger.

Child Abuse

This trigger pisses me off, and in fact, should not even be a trigger to begin with. No child should ever be neglected, abused, or sexually assaulted. Sadly though, in this sick world, these subjects take place every day. I feel this is the type of subject that absolutely does need to be warned.

Growing up my home life was perfect. We didn’t have much, but what my parents made damn sure we did have, was a house filled with love and a head filled with happy memories.

My sophomore year in high school I took a sociology class. In this class, we learned about many disturbing subjects and one of them was child abuse. One of the homework assignments for that subject was to read Dave Pelzer’s novel ‘A Child Called It’. This novel was so extreme that, I had to take home a permission slip and have my parents sign it in order to read this novel. This book is a true story written about the abuse that Dave Pelzer lived through as a child. I remember sitting in the cafeteria next to my best friend, we decided to buddy read this book. She wasn’t in my class. We both had tears streaming down our faces. It was at that moment I came to the realization that my parents sheltered me from the cruel and vicious world.

This subject is the reason why I had to DNF a novel. I get that authors are seeking angst and going to extreme measures to outdo each other. But when an author details a six-year-old child being sexually abused, that is grounds to throw this novel away and believe me when I say I cherish all the books on my shelves whether they are good or bad. I find it immoral to detail subjects such as these, there is no need. You can write a novel and have this be an underlying issue with a main character without having to detail it.

It’s as simple as that.

On a side note, I haven’t given up on this author. In fact, I’ve read a few novels after this one and absolutely loved them.

PTSD/War Flashbacks

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is most found in romance novels that involve military heroes. This is a trigger I feel does not need to be warned. But if you are someone who would like to be warned about this trigger it is usually mentioned somewhere in the synopsis. If this Trigger were to be warned it would give away that element of surprise and the shock value.

For those living with PTSD I can understand why you would want to be warned. I live next door to a man who suffers with this mental illness. It is honestly no laughing matter. My heart broke for him this past fourth of July, another neighbor lit a firecracker close to his house as what I can only assume was a sick prank. I heard the man yelling and crying inside his house. My heart broke for him and for all others that are fighting the flashbacks and living in fear because they think they are still at war. In a way, they are still at war only this war is more drastic.

Suicide

I saved the most extreme for last. Suicide is a touchy subject. If written flawlessly, this subject could make a novel great. But if executed poorly this novel will severely piss a lot of people off. If you look at the charts almost everyone is affected by suicide. Whether it be from your own thoughts, losing a loved one, or hearing on social media that one of your heroes has ended it all. Everyone is affected by Suicide. What once used to be a taboo subject that wasn’t even documented out of the respect of the family is now everywhere you look.

As I said before in the majority of the subjects, if you look in the blurb….it is usually hidden in the words!

But for extreme cases yes, I feel this subject should have a trigger warning in place. If you take into account all the people this subject has drastically touched, half of them probably view this as a trigger.

For me though, If the novel was surrounded around this subject and I mean, being inside the character’s head and hearing their internal thoughts, getting down deep into the reasonings behind their depression, feeling their emotions before the deed is done. Then yes, I would want a trigger. But if the author takes a different approach around the subject and we get views inside the head of the friends and families of the victim, then no I wouldn’t want to be warned, because in this theory there is always a mysterious vibe and a whole lot of why’s and what if’s. Giving too much information away will lead to eventually giving spoilers away.

Now for the question that this whole post stems around

Should an author be required to warn readers of triggers?

My answer to this question is simple.

Only an author truly knows what is right when it comes to their work. If they feel a trigger warning is necessary they will post it, and honestly most of them do. However, sometimes a memo such as, ‘warning, trigger like issues are mentioned’ simply is not enough for some readers that are sensitive to these triggers inducing subjects. In cases where the trigger material is extensive and highly detailed then yes, a little warning stating ‘This novel involves PTSD or ‘Those sensitive to rape, read at your own risk’ type triggers should be posted.

But as for me, I’m happy with the element of surprise and not knowing until that moment!

What do you think?

Should an author be required to warn their readers of triggers?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Also,

before you leave check out these posts from my blogging buddies!

The World Was Hers For The Reading

Red Hot Ink

Peace Love and Happy Reading,