LONDON 鈥� It鈥檚 a chilling clich茅 of thrillers that women often end up abducted, abused or dead.
One writer is so sick of the violence that she has set up a book prize to reward crime novels 鈥渋n which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered.鈥� The contest has some writers and readers cheering, but others say it could deter authors from tackling tough real-life issues.
The Staunch Book Prize offers a $3,200 purse and is open to published and unpublished books alike.
London-based writer and educator Bridget Lawless founded the contest after growing weary of violence against women being a 鈥済o-to motivator鈥� in books, films and TV shows.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 really moved on too far from the silent movies,鈥� said Lawless, who argues that violence against women in fiction has become both numbingly commonplace and increasingly explicit. 鈥淲omen are still being tied to the tracks, but now they have got to be raped first.鈥�
Lawless says she has been surprised by the strength of reaction to the idea, which was partly inspired by the MeToo movement against Hollywood sexual harassment. Within weeks of being announced, the prize has acquired a website, a judging panel 鈥� Lawless, comedian Doon Mackichan and literary agent Piers Blofield 鈥� and international media coverage.
The Staunch Prize is open for submissions from Feb. 22 to July 15, with the winner announced on Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Lawless thinks the reception is connected to the dam-burst of women鈥檚 stories unleashed by sexual-misconduct allegations against powerful men in entertainment, politics, business and the media.
鈥淟ots and lots of readers have written personal messages to me to say 鈥榯hank goodness,鈥� 鈥� she said.
She said that at a time when 鈥渨omen are very seriously talking about violence that鈥檚 happened to them 鈥� a lot of people don鈥檛 want to go home and then mop up lots of violence against women in literature.鈥�
But what about those who do? Women make up a large portion of thriller readers and authors, and female crime writers have been among the strongest critics of the prize.
Crime novelist Sophie Hannah, whose latest book is the mystery thriller Keep Her Safe, wrote in The Guardian that it鈥檚 vital to tell stories in which violence 鈥渋s subjected to psychological and moral scrutiny, and punished.鈥�
鈥淩eading the eligibility criteria, it鈥檚 hard to avoid the conclusion that the prize actively sets out to discourage crime fiction, even of the highest quality, that tackles violence against women head-on,鈥� she wrote.
Scottish crime writer Val McDermid said good writers 鈥渨ant to address these issues 鈥� not by ignoring them but by dealing with them in a way that isn鈥檛 exploitative.鈥�
鈥淎s long as women are dying at the hands of violent men, I am going to write about this. Because not to write about it is to pretend it鈥檚 not happening,鈥� McDermid told the BBC.
Lawless says she is not trying to limit writers鈥� freedom, but just wants readers to have a choice.
鈥淚鈥檓 not telling everyone they shouldn鈥檛 write it or read it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not censorship or a ban. It鈥檚 just saying: 鈥楥ome on, can鈥檛 we find some other stories?鈥� 鈥�
