The #MeToo Movement has sparked momentous change in our society—even in the types of books being written and published. The movement encourages women to come forward with their stories of sexual harassment and assault to stand in solidarity with others affected. This wave of voices has spoken across many platforms, including books! Sexual assault and harassment have historically been regarded as taboo or private, and writing openly about them helps fight the stigma.
Increasingly, female authors are writing about women’s experiences like sexual violence and gaslighting, and they’re receiving a lot of attention and praise for it. It’s time to talk about these issues in the open and see more survivor representation in novels like Denise Mina’s Conviction (about a high-profile rape case), Erin Kelly’s Stone Mothers (about how society judges women who don’t conform to expectations), and Mel McGrath’s The Guilty Party (about the aftermath of women who witnessed a possible attack). Tramp Press Publisher Sarah Davis-Goff says, “I do think that the #MeToo movement has been quite enabling for women in that it’s confirmed our worst suspicions. There is something incredibly powerful about finding out that you are not alone, and what we’re seeing in a lot of upcoming fiction is authors working through this and really digging into their experiences.”
Read more: How to Find a Mentor in the Age of #MeToo
