If you follow Sean's blog (http://www.seabeechaplain.blogspot.ca/), you already know he's reading the 50 Shades series. What you may not know- weeks before he blogged about it, I outed him to the Toronto Jewish community.
While Sean was at his 3 weeks of ADT (not the alarm company, but a type of US Naval Reserve duty), he purchased and began reading "50 Shades of Grey." I, of course, knew since we talk more at night when he's away than when he's home (at home we rarely get a moment alone to talk until we are collapsing in bed. Sean has an amazing knack for falling asleep mid-sentence.). Each night we'd try to skype, not always the best for me, but then again, he is the man I love, and I even like him.
Fast forward to his last week of ADT. Back at home, the kids were finishing school. Each year one of Keren's classmates has very generously invited the grade to her grandparent's home for a pool party. (Really it's the grandparents who are generous, but this is a family that is wonderful in all generations!) In past years I have been working full-time. Keren has gone to the party with friends, and I have arrived for the last 10-15 minutes to pick her up. This year I am working part-time, plus my hours begin early so I can be with the kids in the afternoon. I had the lovely benefit of being able to spend my late afternoon pool-side talking to other moms. The hot topic of the day was (can you guess?) the latest trend- mommy-porn, aka "50 Shades of Grey." As talk turned to the book, I blurted out, "Oh, Sean just bought that. He's reading it while he's away." Reactions were "Really?" There was some laughter and a general state of impressed-ness (no, that's not a word, but it should be.). Kudos to Sean for seeing a new trend racing through the community and instead of just wondering about it, checked it out.
Second story- a week later, when Sean was home, I ran to the Superstore late one evening to get the shopping done. Wandering the aisles, I noticed they had "50 Shades Darker". I bought it for Sean with the intent to stick it in his suitcase for him to read on his next AT (another type of Naval Reserve duty). While in the store, I bumped into a young couple. They are engaged, and come to our shul. It was her first time in a Superstore. I said, "It's great. (gesturing to my cart) I have vitamins, sunscreen, books, and broccoli. What more could I ask for?!" What I did not realize until I arrived at the check out was the spine of "50 Shades Darker" was sticking up. Here I was with the latest mommy porn, and I'm showing it off to potential congregants. Well, everyone wants their rabbi to be in touch with the latest news and trends- don't they?
But really, Sean was asking me (and later in his blog) what's the popularity of these books. They're okay, not really well written. There's a lot of repeated words. You can tell the author is a TV producer as the character development totally focuses on the main couple only. In books we usually get varying sorts of development in all the characters, but in "50 Shades" we know nothing of Ana's best friend and roommate, or Christian's siblings, even though they seem important. What we do have is a great romance (over the top and beyond what most of us would want, but great nonetheless). Ana & Christian are devoted to each other. Some theorize that the popularity comes from the idea that what seems at first as dominance is really serving Ana. Others think it's just the abundance of sex. Personally, I don't think it's the sex. Yes, there is sex in the book, a lot of sex, but most of it no different than many so-called bodice rippers. More- yes, but different- not so much. It's a formula that works. This one just has much better pr, which may also come from it being written by a producer who would know how to promote.
One more story- I didn't put the book in Sean's suitcase because I wanted to share the second story with him. (I'd already shared the first.) He began to read the book, and so did I. While the writing is adequate, you really do want to know what's going to happen to Christian & Ana, and you wonder how Christian got to be who & where he is. I was finishing it up on Sunday, sitting in our den. In the story there was a description of a lunch. (Food is important in the book. Unfortunately we know more about the food they eat than the people to whom they are closest.) As I get to this description (it's actually a salad dressing), Sean walks by the den just as I say, "yum." All this sex, and my verbal outburst comes from the salad dressing. We laughed about it in the moment, but it got me to thinking.
Okay, yes there's a lot of sex in the book, and, while I believe E.L. James could have cut much of it out, without the sex the book probably wouldn't have sold as well. It's not great writing. The gift was in the promotion- "Wow, a book full of sex- beyond the mainstream sex- being marketed to moms (normal women)." When these moms heard this, some went to buy the book. Newsflash- moms are buying this book- it's mommy porn. Now the self-fulfilling prophecy is realized. The more the news talks about this books, the more women wonder & buy it to see what everyone else seems to be reading. With more buyers, there's more news, not to mention the promotion. It was a wonderful marketing concept.
For Sean, there's wonder- why are so many women reading this book? What questions should the popularity of this trilogy make us ask about our relationships? He wonders if people are bored and looking for more (although maybe not this much more). Sean questions whether couples need to communicate more about their physical needs, not just about the shopping list or the carpool. He may be onto something. For me, happy, satisfied, and fulfilled in my relationship, "50 Shades of Grey" is just another romance novel, one I will likely not reread. (BTW, I do like romance novels. I have a couple of favourite authors, and I do reread them over and over and over again.) What I really liked was a new idea for the salad dressing. We're always looking for new recipes.
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