Does incest sell?

The best book I’ve read this year has been Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. It has also been the most taboo. Since inhaling it (a very addictive read), I’ve also read the books: Byron in Love, Shadows of the Workhouse, Kafka on the Shore and The Other Boelyn Girl. One thing they all have in common is … they involve some sort of incest. Now I must assure you I don’t have an incest fetish and this run of books I’ve been reading must be a bizarre coincidence. Or is it? Have authors and publishing houses worked out something quite intriguing. Does incest sell? My guess would be, yes it does.

Take a look at some of the major headlines in the past year or so. They’ve included the horrific Fritzl scandal and the Sheffield case. These crimes are utterly deplorable, evoking revulsion in your average media-consuming citizen. Anything written on Fritzl will make the ten most viewed articles on news websites and the case took up a lot of online and broadcasted news, not to mention dinner conversations. In the way we watch a horror film or become sticky beaks at the sight of an ambulance or passing by a car wreck, we will still want to know about these stories before turning away in disgust. The cases I’ve mentioned are evil but still there is a strong desire for the reader to know more and to condemn it.

Of course, the incest covered in the five books I’ve mentioned haven’t involved rape, or torture (besides a dream scene in Kafka on the Shore). In fact both parties wilfully consented to these illegal acts. And while I look upon sibling fornication with disgust and horror, something quite extraordinary happened when I read Middlesex. I thought, ‘how unfortunate that he fell in love with his sister and what bad luck that their son then married his cousin and this resulted in their child being a hermaphrodite’. My nonchalance may appear odd and I never imagined that I could be so empathetic to something so … well … gross. It’s quite remarkable and it’s why I am a voracious reader, constantly looking for my next fix. As soon as I've finished a book, I'm on to the next, barely stopping for air. Through various books my opinions continue to change and develop. For me, that’s the sign of a brilliant book. It makes you view something in a way you could never imagine you would. Having said that, I do need a break from books with incest. I’m going to start reading something a bit lighter and less sexual. Perhaps one of the classics, like a Jane Austen novel. I've always wanted to read Emma. Oh wait …

The Evil Protagonist

I'm in the middle of reading Patrick Suskind's novel, Perfume. I borrowed the novel from my sister. 'You're brave,' she said. 'I read that book and had to throw it against the corner of my room, unable to touch it for weeks.' That's a pretty strong reaction to a piece of writing. Which makes me wonder, what makes the novel evoke such strong emotions in people? I think it all comes down to the evil protagonist.

By writing from the point of view of a monster, is Suskind a literary genius or a big creep? Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, protagonist of Perfume, is a murderer with no remorse. And what makes him even more terrifying is he is clever and powerful. As a reader, it completely throws you from your comfort zone and goes against all sensibilities of the literary formula. Showing us the inner thoughts and emotions of someone so inherently evil makes us feel tainted and evil ourselves. Readers love and admire their protagonist. Yes, they may have faults but that's what makes them even more human and acceptable.

Following Grenouille means I'm thrust in to his motives and relating to his point of view, even if his sole desire is to hunt down and kill adolescent virgins. Am I emphathising with a child murderer? YUCK … am I as immoral as my protagonist? Is the only solution to my sick fascination with Grenouille, to chuck the book in the corner of my room and never touch it again? Well, I'm seventy pages from the end and unlike my sister, I can't bear for such a unique and enchanting book to collect dust.

For more evil protagonists try Frankenstein, American Psycho and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

The Sexy Mr Darcy

Women tend to fall in love with celebrity men and pronounce a sort of claim on them. Ben Affleck belongs to my best friend, Jude Law to my sister and Benicio Del Toro to my Aunt. Ever since I saw Cry Baby when I was nine, I had dibs on Johnny Depp. Until I picked up a Jane Austen book and then everything changed.

Up until a month ago I was an Austen virgin. I've now come to realise two things. Jane Austen is an engaging writer and her books were probably how the term 'sexual tension' was coined. Secondly, nothing is more attractive than a sexy character in a novel. I'm sorry Johnny but I have fallen for Mr Darcy and here's why:

Mr Darcy is rich, well-dressed, good looking and a loyal friend. But there's a catch. He is so arrogant that on his first meeting with our heroine, Elizabeth, he calls her plain and refuses to dance with her. However, throughout the novel he falls desperately in love with her.

There are so many delectable things about Mr Darcy. He communicates via mail. How romantic would it be to receive a three-page letter from a potential lover? And he accepts Elizabeth and her dysfunctional family even though it goes against his upbringing and social standing. And what is sexier than a man who is willing to change for their woman and risk their fortunes for love? Maybe it is soppy but it's obviously a timeless desire for many women readers. And if you read Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones, you will definitely see parallels between the two Darcys.

Mr Darcy is a character who should continue to be reinvented, many times over, for all our reading pleasures.