Today’s Topic: Character Freebie (any topic you want that deals with book characters!)
Hosted by: That Artsy Reader Girl
I love a freebie topic! And as most of you probably can tell, I love a good romantic story. But even more, I swoon over a well written romantic hero. So originally, I was going to list the romantic leading men I had fallen for lately. But then I realized it is a topic I have covered more than once and wouldn’t it be nice to do something different.
One of the things I’ve been seeing more and more of in fiction in recent years is the inclusion of characters with disabilities and/or trauma. I appreciate that authors are writing these types of characters. Not only are they generally inspirational, but it also gives readers a glimpse into the challenges they face. Hopefully, this also makes us more understanding and compassionate humans in real life.
Characters Who Have Overcome Disabilities & Adversity
Colin Mabry in Far Side of the Sea – The loss of a limb does not hinder Lt. Mabry in continuing to carry out his military duties.
Annika Rose in The Girl He Used to Know – I can’t imagine what it is like living in a mind that has difficulty recognizing social cues. But reading about Annika who is a high functioning autistic with anxiety disorder gives me a better idea of how challenging it must be.
Thor Norgaard in Sons of Blackbird Mountain & Daughters of Northern Shores – Author Joanne Bischof has clearly done her research on how deafness affects the way those who cannot hear relate to the world without this sense.
Christian Langland, the Duke of Jervaux in Flowers From the Storm – This wealthy, powerful duke suffers a stroke and ends up in a mental institution as he tries to regain his power of speech. It’s fascinating to read about how certain medical issues were handled in a time before modern medicine.
Helen Fraser in Beautiful in His Sight – I’ve often thought of all the senses I would least like to lose, it would be my sight. A former prostitute, Helen is already in hiding from dangerous men when she loses her sight in an explosion. It makes staying safe all that more difficult for her.
Luc Crépet in At the Edge of Summer – I have great respect for our military who put their bodies and lives in harm’s way. Not only do some of them suffer from PTSD, but others, like Luc are maimed and disfigured. It must be difficult to adjust to a world that judges us by outer appearance without knowing the sacrifices that have been made.
Julia Jenkins in When You Look at Me – The stats say that one in four women has been raped. I know that everyone deals with the physical and emotional trauma and after effects in their own way. Julia must come to terms with the fact that she will be a single mother to the child of her rapist.
Hamish DeLuca in Murder at the Flamingo – Hamish struggles with an anxiety disorder. But I love how the author does not allow it to hinder him or be used as an excuse. Instead, based on her own experience, she has created a character who is strong in the face of his own weakness, who pushes through his fears.
Elianna in Land of Silence – Living with an undiagnosed illness must be not only extremely frustrating, but also demoralizing among other things. The author has taken the Biblical story of the woman who suffered for years with the issue of blood and created a riveting story of what it would have been like to live in a culture that called the diseased unclean.
Avery Nichols in Shattered Rose – The current cultural obsession with body image has led to a rise in eating disorders. Even normal “good” girls like Avery are not immune. This story shows the genesis of Avery’s obsession, but it also portrays her disorder as the disease it is.
Jake Porter in A Love Like Ours – PTSD is very real and not just suffered by those who have been to war. Jake is a good example of someone who is trying to come to terms with a life changed by trauma.
Tucker O’Shay in This Quiet Sky – Unfortunately not every disease is healed. Sometimes an illness is terminal and we must learn how to live the life that is left. Nobody displays a joyful, well-lived life in the face of death better than Tucker. We are all going to die someday. I just hope that I can follow Tucker’s example in appreciating every single moment of the gift we call life.
Ok, so I listed more than ten. Honestly I could have added ten more.
Do you feel inspired and more understanding when you read about characters who have overcome adversity?
What an excellent idea for a list! It’s wonderful to read about people who have disabilities and have put together a good life.
Thank you! I love that we are starting to see more representation like this in fiction.